Indigenous wisdom

Indonesia’s forests have been populated by indigenous forest communities for many centuries. These communities often pass down traditional knowledge regarding farming practices, rituals and local cultures and religions to their younger generations. Through this social learning process, communities figure out what works best to manage the needs of their individual communities while tending to the land around them.

This does not mean that forest communities always get it right when it comes to managing the land. In recent years, the influx of international markets, industries and global climate change have introduced new stakeholders and changed the dynamics between Man and the forest. This presents the problem of “old minds in a modern world” – where the traditional mindsets and practices of forest communities fail to adapt to new dynamics and environments within the forestry sector.

Ecology and science

One of the main goals of modern ecology and forestry science is to expedite this learning process through recorded observations of the natural world. Global observation networks such as the Smithsonian ForestGEO serves to expand global forestry knowledge and advance plant conservation efforts across all ecosystems.

While ecology seeks to expand humanity’s knowledge and perspective the natural world, scientific knowledge may fail to take into account people’s values, especially when it comes to making decisions in conservation and forestry management. An overly knowledge-centric approach to forest management may lead to locals perceiving such information as being overly idealistic and unrealistic, thus undermining forest management systems.

Bridging science and society

How can we get the best of both worlds from science and indigenous knowledge?

Studies that looked at the interactions between the two fields generally recommend a respectful and collaborative approach when conducting dialogues between scientists and locals, as shown:

1) Engaging in respectful dialogue – respect each other’s opinions and knowledge differences. Values matter as much as knowledge when it comes to forest conservation, and dialogue is required to find a balance between the two.

2) Continue to engage in meaningful collaboration – a participatory approach should seek to engage forest communities and consider their views. It is easy for scientists to dismiss the views of locals as being outdated and traditional, but superficial participation will likely breed frustration and a one-sided, suboptimal outcome.

3) Humility among all stakeholders – no one should claim to “know it all” or strive for control with a top-down approach. In fact, both parties should continue to advance current knowledge and resolve misunderstandings to work towards common sustainability goals.

It is natural for scientists and local communities to possess very different views regarding the understanding of forest systems, resource affordances and priorities. Nonetheless, this should not hinder both groups from learning from each other to advance conservation efforts and reach sustainable outcomes.