Living side by side with nature: evidence of self-governance in three local communities in Indonesia

Abstract

Environmental damage is a severe problem faced by humankind today. Nature has become a victim of human economic activity, especially in developing countries. This paper analyzes a group of local community entities in Indonesia that live side by side with nature. This paper explores self-governance in three local community entities in Indonesia. The Baduy community, the Simanau community, and the Rumbiocommunity are examples of people who uphold their customs to live side by side with nature. They have Self-governance to regulate the lifestyle of their people to live simply with nature. The Baduy community represents self-governance in Banten Province, where they highly uphold the customs handed down from their ancestors. The Simanau people in West Sumatra Province can manage forest resources well and apply severe penalties for those who violate their rules. The Rumbio community in Riau Province is sage in managing the customary prohibition forest. The self-governance that has been implemented so far has gone quite well. By regulation, the applied self-governance does not conflict with the formal rules that apply in Indonesia. This paper is a reflection that humans can live in harmony with nature.

Keywords

• Self-governance
• Local communities
• Village
• Traditional village
• Forestry
• Nature