Int J Adv Life Sci Res. Volume 7(1) 110-119 https://doi.org/10.31632/ijalsr.2024.v07i01.012 Received on :14 th November 2023; Revised version received on :21 st December 2023; Accepted: 31 st December 2023 110 International Journal of Advancement in Life Sciences Research Online ISSN: 2581-4877 Journal homepage http://ijalsr.org Original Article 'Women's Dependency Rate on the Kerinci Seblat National Park Area in Fulfilling Their Basic Needs Eva Juniar Andika 1* , Guswarni Anwar 2 , Titiek Kartika Hendrastiti 3 1 Master Program of Environmental Management, Sriwijaya University, Padang Selasa Street No. 524, Bukit Besar, Palembang 30139, South Sumatra, Indonesia 2 Department of Forestry, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Bengkulu, W.R. Supratman Street, Kandang Limun, Bengkulu 38371, Indonesia. 3 Public Administration Department, University of Bengkulu, W.R. Supratman Street, Kandang Limun, Bengkulu 38371, Indonesia *Correspondence E-mail: evajuniarandika.ej@gmail.com Abstract Kerinci Seblat National Park experienced an encroachment rate during 1990-2014 of 2,737 ha/year or 52.6% of the highest encroachment area in the Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatera. Dependence on forests is done to meet basic needs such as food and animal feed. A study was required to determine the level of women's dependence on Kerinci Seblat National Park through the fulfillment of basic needs. The data collection methods used were a literature study, field observation, and an in-depth interview. Ranking the level of dependence of women in the Kerinci Seblat National Park conservation area through the fulfillment of basic needs based on the Indonesian High Conservation Value Toolkit Revision Consortium (2008). The existing land in Pal VIII Village is mainly agricultural land, namely coffee plantations. The research results through in-depth interviews showed that women in Pal VIII Village fulfill their needs for food, energy sources, and medicines, many of which are obtained from outside the area. Cultivation was carried out on their private land and utilized in their yard. Women's use of forest resources in the area was low because women met their basic needs from outside the Kerinci Seblat area. The characteristics of fulfilling women's basic needs were mostly met in several ways, namely cultivation, buying, and taking from private gardens. Thus, the level of dependence of Pal VIII Village women to fulfill their basic needs in the Kerinci Seblat National Park area was low. Keywords: Basic Needs; Forest Encroachment; National Park; Women's Dependency Introduction Forest resources have played a significant role in facilitating Indonesia’s economic development for more than five decades (Nugroho et al., 2022). The diversity of tropical forest flora and fauna in Indonesia is very considerable (Purba et al., 2014), and it grows naturally in various forest locations in Indonesia, including national parks. In 2004, UNESCO identified Kerinci Seblat National Park, Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park, and Gunung Leuser National Park as part of Sumatra's Tropical Rainforest Heritage (STRH), and the World Heritage Committee designated them as world heritage sites (Purwanto, 2016). The status was chosen by considering the high diversity of flora and fauna that must be preserved (Malik et al., 2020). The World Heritage Committee listed Kerinci Seblat as a world heritage site in risk at 2011 due to the area's high level of forest encroachment. Kerinci Seblat experienced encroachment at a rate of 2,737 ha/year from 1990 to 2014, accounting for 52.6% of the