Tropentag 2023, September 20 - 22, Berlin, Germany "Competing pathways for equitable food systems transformation: trade-offs and synergies."

Socio-ecological interaction of rural agricultural system surrounding conservation area: Case study from Jepara regency, Indonesia

Bogor Agricultural University, Department of Communication Sciences and Community Development, Indonesia

Abstract

More than half of Indonesia’s area is a forest area. In the forest area, there are a variety of natural resources as a source of livelihood for social system. But, since the change in status to a conservation area, the social mission for the welfare of farmer households around the area has become in conflict with the ecological mission. This purpose of this research to analyse the types of socio-ecological interaction that occur in rural households around conservation area in Indonesia by taking the case of conservation area in Jepara Regency. Data collection in this research was carried out by distributing questionnaires, in-depth interviews, and observation. The collected data was then analysed using mixed method.
The results of this research show that there are three types of socio-ecological interaction in conservation area namely, neutral socio-ecological interactions both for the local people and the forest ecosystem, limited uses of natural resources utilisation with very minimal impact to forest ecosystem, exploitative socio-ecological interactions from human being to forest resources. The difference between types of the interaction is seen from the identification of the initial question regarding their existence in the conservation area, namely whether or not whether they have entered the conservation area. Then, the analyses continue on the types of natural resources utilised, the frequency of natural resource utilisation, until the quantity of natural resources utilised. The important result from this research highlights the facts that although the awareness of the ecological mission is understood by the farmer households around conservation area, but the economic dimension still plays a role for households to use of natural resources from the conservation area.

Keywords: Agricultural-forest interaction, Indonesia, livelihood, natural resources, smallholders

Contact Address: Jannatul Ulya, Bogor Agricultural University, Department of Communication Sciences and Community Development, Grogolan village 03/02 dukuhseti, 59158 Pati, Indonesia, e-mail: 27112001ulyaapps.ipb.ac.id