Langkat Regency is one of the regencies in North Sumatra with a mangrove forest area of 26,774 hectares in 2024. Mangrove forests offer numerous benefits to coastal communities. Beyond serving as ecosystem resources, mangrove forests also provide economic benefits to coastal residents. Since the 1990s, coastal communities in Langkat Regency have begun cutting down forests for firewood without understanding the potential impacts. If this phenomenon continues, mangrove forest deforestation will worsen. The research aims to identify the characteristics of coastal communities in Langkat Regency, analyze the economic programs favored by these communities, and develop economic program models that sustainably utilize mangroves. Socio-economic data were collected using a combination of Focus Group Discussions (FGD) and in-depth interviews. The sampling technique employed was purposive nonprobability sampling. The research data were analyzed using a mixed methods approach. The results of this study indicate that 33.33% of the population in Langkat Regency has a high school education, 30.83% has an elementary school education, 26.67% has a junior high school education, 7.50% has a bachelor's degree, and 1.67% has no formal education. The community's primary source of income is fishing (15.00%). There are two economic programs of interest to residents of Langkat Regency: livestock farming (20.83%) and environmentally friendly fish/shrimp/crab farming (19.16%). The development of a community economic program model in Langkat Regency includes implementation plans and development strategies that address capital requirements, training, and land. Resource budgets and additional mechanisms for collaboration among local governments, non-governmental organizations, academics, and the private sector are also involved.
Harefa et al. (Fri,) studied this question.