Kearifan Lokal Perlindungan Ikan Arwana Irian (Scleropages jardinii, Saville-Kent 1892) di Merauke, Papua

Australian bonytongue (Scleropages jardinii) is an endemic species of Papua. The distribution area of this fish are north Australia and central-southern New Guinea. In Papua, this species can be found in Merauke, Boven Digoel and Mappi. This fish is protected by Indonesian law and decided as hunting animal by Ministry of Forestry’s decree Number: 2091/Kpts-II/2001. Traditionally, the fish and other natural sources are protected by community of Yeinan tribal in Erambu and Toray Villages who reside along Wanggo River, tributary of Maro River, Merauke. The purpose of this research is to understand local knowledge and practices of protecting and collecting fish by local people of Villages of Erambu and Toray. The research was conducted in Wanggo River, Erambu and Toray Villages, Merauke on September 2017-April 2018. Data and information on this local knowledge and practice were collected through observation and interview to key and base informants using questionnaire. The research envisages that there are five local knowledges and practices exist in relation to the protection and the process of collecting Australian bonytongue; they are traditional rules, traditional protection, sasi protection, area based collection and collection as traditional practice. People of Yeinan tribal group in these two villages are maintaining these rules to date to protect the fish. These local knowledge and traditional practices contain local conservation values which have been passing down from generation to generation.   Key words: local knowledge; Merauke; protection; S. jardinii; Wanggo River