The Indigenous Pomparan Ompu Ondol Butarbutar community faces eviction from the area that has been their home for generations, and have seen their farms razed to make way for the new tourism project.
The issuance of the Regional Regulation on the Recognition of the Mentawai Indigenous Peoples provides legal protection for Indigenous rights at the district level. However, new laws and inaction by the central government have paved the way for timber companies to exploit their land, natural resources and culture.