Background and Research Aims: Human-orangutan conflicts are a growing problem in the tropical rainforests of Sumatra. Habitat degradation and fragmentation can drive orangutans to move on to agroforestry plantations and into conflict with farmers. This research examines farmers’ awareness of the roles that Tapanuli orangutans play, their attitudes towards orangutans when they come on their land and the broader political-economic factors which influence interactions between smallholders and orangutans. Methods: We used a mixed methods approach of quantitative surveys with 275 farmers and qualitative in-depth interviews with 22 key informants from 11 villages on the island of Sumatra, Indonesia. Results: We found that while many farmers had negative encounters with orangutans eating their crops, their responses differed. Some tolerated the orangutans; others chased them away. The difference stemmed from cultural beliefs about orangutans and their relationship to humans. Some communities hold them as neighbours, others fear them, but in both cases would not harm them. Most farmers do not perceive them as significant threats but as hunger-driven neighbours. Rather than blaming the orang-utans per se, they argue that habitat loss caused by expanding extractive activities is the driving factor of this conflict. They want to see limits on the expansion of extractive industry, alternative income sources and compensation for their orangutan losses. Conclusion: The study concludes by highlighting five aspects that need consideration for reducing human-orangutan conflicts and with a broader discussion on the need to include the socio-cultural context of the human populations in conservation initiatives. Implications for Conservation: The study underscores the imperative of integrating local farmers’ perspectives in conserving critically endangered Tapanuli orangutans. It advocates coexistence through crop loss mitigation, deforestation prevention, and compensation strategies, emphasizing the need for holistic, sustainable conservation measures encompassing ecological, social, and economic facets within the region.

ECONOMIC VALUATION OF MANGROVE FOREST AT APAR VILLAGE PARIAMAN CITY OF WEST SUMATRA

Purpose: This research aims to analyze the influence of human capital and social capital as well as the role of government on the performance of ground coffee businesses. The influence of human capital and social capital as well as the role of government on the performance of ground coffee businesses in rural areas is an effort to improve the skills of human resources so that they can increase the productivity and income of ground coffee agro-industry businesses in rural areas. Theoretical framework: The focus is to see to how performance of the ground coffee business has a positive impact on the economy by creating jobs and contributing to local economic growth, especially in rural areas. everal concepts, such as: human capital, social capital and role goverment on perfomance ground coffe business to align with the direction of the study. Design/Methodology/Approach: This study which is quantitative. The research location is Tanah Datar Regency. Data collection was carried out through surveys, field observations, and interviews using questionnaires. Respondents are ground coffee owners in Tanah Datar Regency. The number of research respondents was 104 ground coffee owners. Data analysis was carried out using SEM-PLS. Findings: The research results found that the human capital of ground coffee processing businesses has a positive and significant relationship in influencing performance. The social capital of ground coffee processing businesses, it has a positive and significant relationship in influencing performance. The social capital of ground coffee processing businesses does not affect human capital. The role of government has a positive and significant relationship with human capital and has a positive and significant relationship with social capital. Research, Practical & Social implications: This research concentrates on the influence of human capital, social capital, and the role of government on the performance of ground coffee businesses in rural areas. Originality/Value: This research adds value to the body of knowledge because the results show that without human capital, social capital and the role of government, ground coffee business performance will not improve business performance in rural areas. This study determines that the performance of ground coffee businesses has a positive impact on the economy by creating jobs and contributing to local economic growth, especially in rural areas. Tanah Datar Regency is a region in West Sumatra that has the most businesses engaged in coffee processing, namely around 213 businesses.