Latest available population data of the Muara Merang and Kepayang villages as the most adjacent villages to the Merang Kepayang peat swamp forest was of 2006 year data as presented at the table below,

Based on the MRPP socio economic survey conducted on March 2009, the population composition of the two villages were heterogeneous i.e composed of locals (Majority) and migrants from other districts of South Sumatra and from other provinces.

Educational level of the two villages was very low; for Muara Merang village more than 66% was of elementary school level, 2.4% of secondary, 0.5% of high school and less than 0.17% was of non degree/bachelor degree. For Kepayang village; elementary school level was found to be more than 72%, 0.8% of secondary, 0.2% as of high school level and found none from bachelor or higher degrees.

The village health facilities as well as its paramedics were very limited. Apart from rain water, the villagers heavily rely on the river water for their daily domestic needs i.e for drinking, bathing as well as for cooking. This therefore leaves the villagers highly vulnerable to potential water borne diseases.

The community household’s income was very low. Major source of villagers’ livelihood were, small rubber/oil palm plantation holders, particularly from temporary daily workers at the oil palm plantation companies at nursery, land clearing, weeding, plants tending and fruit harvesting. Daily labor wage vary between Rp 32.000,- to Rp 40.000,- per day with 20-22 working days per month, their income from daily labor would vary between Rp 600.000,- to Rp 800.000,- per month. The local villagers are hoping for better future sustainable livelihood because of the recent government regulation. In this regulation, each registered village household will get 2 Ha of oil palm plasma plantation from the oil palm companies neighboring to their village.

Interestingly, though their household’s income is low, local villagers are not attracted to become what they called “pembalok” or “anak kapak”, illegal logging laborers as part of the illegal logging mafia system.

Saw millers and Illegal logging practices at Merang Kepayang peat swamp forest and surroundings (Upper Merang, Buring, Tembesu Daro, Beruhun and Kepayang rivers) were conducted particularly by migrant inhabitants, mainly originated from Ogan Komering Ilir District villages, in which their communities, by nature, were specialists in the traditional illegal logging practices. These migrant inhabitants mainly domiciled at Kepayang village (190 households) and temporarily domiciled at hamlets surrounding Muara Merang village, such as at Buring hamlet (33 households).

It was found there was strong potential conflict on land tenure issues among local villagers, oil palm companies, timber estate concession and state forest lands. Villages are practically isolated, surrounded by oil palm plantations, timber estate concessions and state forest lands. And most likely, there will be no rooms for those villages to grow and develop properly. Driven by lands need for village development, just recently the head of Muara Merang village are proposing a “Village Forest” or “Hutan Desa” concession at Pancoran hamlet; and Kapayang village proposing “Hutan Tanaman Rakyat” or “Community Timber Estate” concession at Nuaran hamlet, to the Minister of Forestry.