Pandemics and Sustainable Human Nature Relations: A Case study in Baduy Community, South Banten, Indonesia

Abstract

In the past, traditional people across cultures in the world in utilizing and managing natural resources and the environment were based on the local knowledge (LK) or Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) and embedded with culture, so that the environment was avoided from damage. Today, as a result of changes in human behavior towards the environment, it has caused various environmental damages and the emergence of pandemic diseases, such as the Covid-19. This article elucidates the relationship between human and natures and environmental changes that have caused emergence of pandemic diseases, including Covid-19. Various efforts have been undertaken by the Indonesian government to cope Covid-19. For example, to prevent the widespread spread of Covid-19 in society, the Indonesian government has recommended every individual to implement the standard health protocols, such as by applying ‘three m’: menjaga jarak (physical distancing), mencuci tangan dengan sabun (washing hands with soap), and menggunakan masker (wearing masks). Culturally, most of the rural communities in Indonesia initially have a tradition of maintaining health in the family based on local knowledge and strongly embedded by culture, as shown by the traditional people of Baduy community who reside in Village of Kanekes, South Banten. Therefore, the authors suggest that various multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary studies, including the Ethnobiology study, should be carried out more intensively in Indonesia because the results of these studies can be useful for the development of science, and the practical results could be used to integrate with Western scientific knowledge to support various sustainable development programs, such as disaster management, including pandemics that are caused by viruses due to environmental changes..