Date Log
Submitted
Dec 15, 2025
Accepted
May 18, 2026
Published
Oct 13, 2026
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Legal Pluralism and Customary Forest Governance: Customary Community-Based Zoning and Institutional Adaptation in Yongsu Desoyo, Papua
Jurnal Ilmu Kehutanan,
Vol 20 No 2 (2026): September
Abstract
Customary forest governance in Papua reflected the complex dynamics of legal pluralism, where state and customary law interacted in the management of community living spaces. This research aimed to analyze the governance of the indigenous forest by the Yongsu Desoyo community through a traditional zoning system consisting of sena, buso, and sasena as cultivation land, utilization zone, and sacred zone. The response of customary institutions, particularly keret and ondoafi, to external pressures and socioecological change was also examined. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, participant observation, and document analysis. The results showed that forest management practices in Yongsu Desoyo embodied key principles of Community-Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM). The customary zoning system contributed to maintaining the ecological functions of the forest, strengthening social legitimacy, regenerating customary values, and promoting ecological justice. Furthermore, institutional adaptation and the active participation of youth were crucial to sustaining customary forest governance in the context of power asymmetries and limited legal recognition by the state. Customary forest governance in Yongsu Desoyo reported the potential of a co-governance approach that combined the strengths of Customary institutions with formal policy support. This offered a strategic pathway for enhancing the sustainability of forests and advancing justice in conservation.
Keywords
Indigenous Forest
Legal Pluralism
Customary Zoning
Community Institutions
Natural Resource Governance
Yanthy, N. O., Sitorus, Y. L. M. ., & Labok, A. M. . (2026). Legal Pluralism and Customary Forest Governance: Customary Community-Based Zoning and Institutional Adaptation in Yongsu Desoyo, Papua. Jurnal Ilmu Kehutanan, 20(2), 199–214. https://doi.org/10.22146/jik.v20i2.27128
Download Citation
Endnote/Zotero/Mendeley (RIS)BibTeX
References
- Adeyanju S, et al. 2021. Learning from community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) in Ghana and Zambia: Lessons for integrated landscape approaches. International Forestry Review 23(3):273–297. DOI: 10.1505/146554821833992776.
- Afrizal A, Hospes O, BerenschotW, DhiaulhaqA, AdrianaR, Poetry E. 2023. Unequal access to justice: An evaluation of RSPO's capacity to resolve palm oil conflicts in Indonesia. Agriculture and Human Values 40:291–304. DOI: 10.1007/s10460-022-10360-z.
- Akhmar AM, Rahman F, Supratman, Hasyim H, Nawir M. 2023. The cultural transmission of traditional ecological knowledge in Cerekang, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. SAGE Open13(4). DOI: 10.1177/21582440231194160.
- Aldyan A, Aldyan RA, Putri KA, Alasttal A. 2025. Legal pluralism in environmental management: Evidence from Bali, Indonesia. Journal of Law, Environmental and Justice 3(2):229–267. DOI: 10.62264/jlej.v3i2.131.
- Angelsen A, Martius C, de Sy V, Duchelle AE, Larson AM, Pham TT. 2018. Transforming REDD+: Lessons and new directions. Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), Bogor. DOI: 10.17528/cifor/007045.
- Berkes F. 2009. Evolution of co-management: Role of knowledge generation, bridging organizations and social learning. Journal of Environmental Management 90(5):1692–1702. DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2008.12.001.
- Chao S. 2021. Children of the palms: Growing plants and growing people in a Papuan Plantationocene. Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute 27(2):245–264. DOI: 10.1111/1467-9655.13489.
- Delgado-Serrano MdM, Oteros-Rozas E, Ruiz-Mallén I, Calvo-Boyero D, Ortiz-Guerrero CE, Escalante-Semerena RI, Corbera E. 2018. Influence of community based natural resource management strategies in the resilience of social-ecological systems. Regional Environmental Change 18:581–592. DOI: 10.1007/s10113-017-1223-4.
- Hamida NA. 2022. Adat law and legal pluralism in Indonesia: Toward a new perspective? Indonesian Journal of Law and Society 3(1). DOI: 10.19184/ijls.v3i1.26752.
- Hariri A, Babussalam B. 2024. Legal pluralism: Concept, theoretical dialectics, and its existence in Indonesia. Walisongo Law Review (Walrev) 6(2):146–170. DOI: 10.21580/walrev.2024.6.2.25566.
- Indriatmoko Y, Atmadja SS, Ekaputri AD, Komalasari M. 2014. Rimba Raya Biodiversity Reserve Project, Centra Kalimantan, Indonesia. Pages 348–361 in Sills EO, Atmadja SS, de Sassi C, Duchelle AE, Kweka DL, Resosudarmo IAP, Sunderlin WD, editors. REDD+ on the Ground: A Case Book of Subnational Initiatives Across the Globe. Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), Bogor. Available from https://hdl.handle.net/10568/93542.
- Jaenong DP, Ahimi LN, Zubaedillah Z. 2025. Customary law and natural resource governance: Strengthening indigenous rights in environmental management. Hakim: Jurnal Ilmu Hukum dan Sosial 3(2):1164–1178. DOI: 10.51903/t8hwbv11.
- Jhaveri NJ. 2020. Forest tenure pathways to gender equality: Apractitioner's guide. Center for International Forestry Research(CIFOR), Bogor. DOI: 10.17528/cifor/07909.
- Karso AJ. 2025. Natural resources governance and the vulnerability of indigenous communities in Indonesia. Frontiers in Political Science 7:1601480. DOI: 10.3389/fpos.2025.1601480.
- Katila P, McDermott C, Larson A, Aggarwal S, Giessen L. 2020. Forest tenure and the sustainable development goals – a critical view. Forest Policy and Economics 120:102294. DOI: 10.1016/j.forpol.2020.102294.
- Li TM. 2007. The will to improve: Governmentality, development, and the practice of politics. Duke UniversityPress, Durham. DOI: 10.1215/9780822389781.
- Malapane OL, Chanza N, Musakwa W. 2024. Transmission of indigenous knowledge systems under changing landscapes within the Vhavenda Community, South Africa. Environmental Science& Policy 161:103861. DOI: 10.1016/j.envsci.2024.103861.
- Mansoben JR. 1995. Sistem politik tradisional di Irian Jaya. LIPI-RUL, Jakarta.
- Milupi ID, Somers MJ, Ferguson JWH. 2017. A review of community-based natural resource management. Applied Ecology and Environmental Research 15(4):1121–1143. Available from http://hdl.handle.net/2263/63918.
- Po JYT, Saint Ville AS, Rahman HMT, Hickey GM. 2019. On institutional diversity and interplay in natural resource governance. Society and Natural Resources 32(12):1333–1343. DOI: 10.1080/08941920.2019.1667463.
- Pretty J, et al. 2009. The intersections of biological diversity and cultural diversity: Towards integration. Conservation and Society 7(2):100–112. Available from https://www.jstor.org/stable/26392968.
- Rudy R, Yonariza Y, Yanfika H, Rahmat A, Ramadhani WS, MutolibA. 2021. Forest cover change and legal pluralism in forest management: A review and evidence from West Sumatra, Indonesia. Indonesian Journal of Science & Technology. DOI: 10.17509/ijost.v6i2.34190.
- Runtuboi YY, Permadi DB, Sahide MAK, Maryudi A. 2021. Oil palm plantations, forest conservation and indigenous peoples in West Papua Province: What lies ahead? Forest and Society 5(1):23–31. DOI: 10.24259/fs.v5i1.11343.
- Sahide MAK, Fisher MR, Erbaugh JT, Intarini D, Dharmiasih W, Makmur M, Faturachmat F, Verheijen B, Maryudi A. 2020. The boom of social forestry policy and the bust of social forests in Indonesia: Developing and applying an access-exclusion framework to assess policy outcomes. Forest Policy and Economics 120:102290. DOI: 10.1016/j.forpol.2020.102290.
- Saldaña J. 2021. The coding manual for qualitative researchers. SAGE, Thousand Oaks.
- Siscawati M, Banjade MR, Liswanti N, Herawati T, Mwangi E, Wulandari C, Tjoa M, Silaya T. 2017. Overview of forest tenure reforms in Indonesia. Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), Bogor. DOI: 10.17528/cifor/006402.
- Ulambayar T, Fernández-Giménez ME. 2019. How community-based rangeland management achieves positive social outcomes in Mongolia: A moderated mediation analysis. Land Use Policy 82:93–104. DOI: 10.1016/j.landusepol.2018.11.008.
- Ungirwalu A, Awang SA, Runtuboi YY, Peday MY, Marwa J, Maitar B, Murdjoko A, Fatem SM. 2021. Customary forests in West Papua: Contestation of desires or needs? Forest and Society 5(2):365–375. DOI: 10.24259/fs.v5i2.13350.
- von Benda-Beckmann F. 2002. Who's afraid of legal pluralism? Journal of Legal Pluralism and Unofficial Law 47:37–82. DOI: 10.1080/07329113.2002.10756563.