Local Ecological Knowledge on Forest Clearing: A Case Study of Parak and Rimbo Practices in Simancuang Community, Indonesia
Abstract: Local communities
are frequently judged as the main driver of forest degradation and
deforestation because of the weak recognition to local ecological knowledge
(LEK) or traditional ecological knowledge (TEK). We assessed that it is important to elaborate
the attributes of LEK and TEK as a way to describe why and how the local
community clears the forest, as well as its relation to local practices, named
parak and rimbo. Our research uses case
study method to describe the local practices in Simancuang community, Alam Pauh
Duo Village, South Solok District, West Sumatra Province. We conducted unstructured interviews,
observations, and documents selection which were analyzed through
categorization and codification as well as complemented with history analysis,
spatial analysis, and related document analysis. The results showed that Simancuang community
knowledge can describe the attributes of LEK and TEK as a unified whole of
local knowledge for sustaining their livelihoods. Therefore, the forest clearing by Simancuang
people is one of the livelihoods strategies, but they were not the main driver
of forest degradation and deforestation in South Solok District.
Penulis: Ferdinal Asmin,
Dudung Darusman, Iin Ichwandi, Didik Suharjito
Kode Jurnal: jpsosiologidd160362
