Colonial legacy and traps in the social-ecological systems of forest management

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The persistence of colonial controls in present-day forest management has long been recognized as a potential threat to the resilience of social-ecological systems. These controls have created barriers that disconnect individuals from their land and diminish the forest div...

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Main Author: C.D.A. Depari
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: GJESM Publisher 2024-10-01
Series:Global Journal of Environmental Science and Management
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Online Access:https://www.gjesm.net/article_713176_034e6663b05f6ab6876f83ab00de20ff.pdf
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author C.D.A. Depari
author_facet C.D.A. Depari
author_sort C.D.A. Depari
collection DOAJ
description BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The persistence of colonial controls in present-day forest management has long been recognized as a potential threat to the resilience of social-ecological systems. These controls have created barriers that disconnect individuals from their land and diminish the forest diversity. In Mount Merapi, this maladaptation is manifested through the long-tailed macaque’s invasion of farmlands, triggered by the state’s failure to reforest the targeted 480 ha of damaged land after the 2010 eruption. This study aims to qualitatively interrogate factors that are hindering the swift restoration of Mount Merapi's social-ecological systems. This will be achieved by investigating the intricate dynamics of the area over various time frames, utilizing the panarchy framework developed by Holling and Gunderson. The framework is well-known for its capacity to facilitate a holistic understanding of social-ecological systems but is also intrinsically ambiguous to capture the complexity. The study’s novelty lies in its adoption of Boyer’s refined panarchy models and Boonstra and De Boer’s systematic analysis to address the methodological concern toward a better understanding of social-ecological systems.METHODS: This study utilizes various techniques for data collection, including semi-structured interviews, literature reviews, and field observations. The interviews involved informants who were selected through purposive sampling and focused on exploring Boyer's panarchy characteristics. In order to ensure the reliability of the data, triangulation was conducted prior to the development of panarchy models.FINDINGS: The findings indicate that the strict forest controls embedded in the state’s forest management since the colonial periods had created rigidity and poverty traps. The concept of the rigidity trap pertains to a reforestation strategy that utilized laborers and territories for ecological conservation, restricted local communities from utilizing forests, and diminished biodiversity by favoring the introduction of non-native Acacia decurrens.CONCLUSION: To address traps, this study recommends the need to use a panarchy approach that facilitates a comprehensive understanding of social-ecological systems and to transfer governance to local people which must be based on an in-depth understanding of the local history, knowledge, and cultures.
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spelling doaj-art-9cd745b0c0c54e97990f72c85515dd742025-02-02T08:11:21ZengGJESM PublisherGlobal Journal of Environmental Science and Management2383-35722383-38662024-10-011041629165410.22034/gjesm.2024.04.09713176Colonial legacy and traps in the social-ecological systems of forest managementC.D.A. Depari0Department of Architecture, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Atma Jaya Yogyakarta, IndonesiaBACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The persistence of colonial controls in present-day forest management has long been recognized as a potential threat to the resilience of social-ecological systems. These controls have created barriers that disconnect individuals from their land and diminish the forest diversity. In Mount Merapi, this maladaptation is manifested through the long-tailed macaque’s invasion of farmlands, triggered by the state’s failure to reforest the targeted 480 ha of damaged land after the 2010 eruption. This study aims to qualitatively interrogate factors that are hindering the swift restoration of Mount Merapi's social-ecological systems. This will be achieved by investigating the intricate dynamics of the area over various time frames, utilizing the panarchy framework developed by Holling and Gunderson. The framework is well-known for its capacity to facilitate a holistic understanding of social-ecological systems but is also intrinsically ambiguous to capture the complexity. The study’s novelty lies in its adoption of Boyer’s refined panarchy models and Boonstra and De Boer’s systematic analysis to address the methodological concern toward a better understanding of social-ecological systems.METHODS: This study utilizes various techniques for data collection, including semi-structured interviews, literature reviews, and field observations. The interviews involved informants who were selected through purposive sampling and focused on exploring Boyer's panarchy characteristics. In order to ensure the reliability of the data, triangulation was conducted prior to the development of panarchy models.FINDINGS: The findings indicate that the strict forest controls embedded in the state’s forest management since the colonial periods had created rigidity and poverty traps. The concept of the rigidity trap pertains to a reforestation strategy that utilized laborers and territories for ecological conservation, restricted local communities from utilizing forests, and diminished biodiversity by favoring the introduction of non-native Acacia decurrens.CONCLUSION: To address traps, this study recommends the need to use a panarchy approach that facilitates a comprehensive understanding of social-ecological systems and to transfer governance to local people which must be based on an in-depth understanding of the local history, knowledge, and cultures.https://www.gjesm.net/article_713176_034e6663b05f6ab6876f83ab00de20ff.pdfcolonial legacycommunity engagementmaladaptationsocial-ecological systemssustainability
spellingShingle C.D.A. Depari
Colonial legacy and traps in the social-ecological systems of forest management
Global Journal of Environmental Science and Management
colonial legacy
community engagement
maladaptation
social-ecological systems
sustainability
title Colonial legacy and traps in the social-ecological systems of forest management
title_full Colonial legacy and traps in the social-ecological systems of forest management
title_fullStr Colonial legacy and traps in the social-ecological systems of forest management
title_full_unstemmed Colonial legacy and traps in the social-ecological systems of forest management
title_short Colonial legacy and traps in the social-ecological systems of forest management
title_sort colonial legacy and traps in the social ecological systems of forest management
topic colonial legacy
community engagement
maladaptation
social-ecological systems
sustainability
url https://www.gjesm.net/article_713176_034e6663b05f6ab6876f83ab00de20ff.pdf
work_keys_str_mv AT cdadepari coloniallegacyandtrapsinthesocialecologicalsystemsofforestmanagement