Pirates and Environmental Conservation around Malacca Strait

Abstract

Sea people are those whose lives depend on the sea. The Sea people under certain conditions will become pirates. Piracy has been around for a long time. The area which became the centers of pirate activity was around Malacca Strait. Malacca Strait is very strategic because it is in the shipping and trade lane that connects China, Archipelago, India, Persian Gulf and Europe. The bustling of trade and shipping activities invited the pirates presence. In 16th to 19th century, the pirates that found in Malacca Strait were originally Malay sea people who were around Sumatra waters. One of the reason why the Malays doing piracy was because the West people arrival. Despite being pirates they had an awarness to preserve the environment both at the sea and on the coast. Sea people's behaviour and lifestyle emphasized that they had a close relationship with nature and maintain the environmental preservation