Survival Strategies: Socio-Economic Adaptation of River Fishing Communities in the Sebangau Conservation Area
Abstract
Sebangau National Park is a conservation area designated by the Indonesian government through the Decree of the Minister of Forestry Number SK.423/Menhut-II/2004. The conversion of the Sebangau area into a conservation area has caused significant changes to the livelihood sources of the people living around the area. This study seeks to examine the socio-economic adjustments of river fishermen within the Sebangau National Park region. Employing qualitative methodologies, the research utilizes data collection techniques that include in-depth interviews and observational methods. Findings indicate that the river fishermen in this area have undergone considerable socio-economic transformations as a result of the establishment of the conservation zone. They must adapt to environmental and economic changes and develop strategies to maintain their livelihoods. This research also found that the role of government and conservation institutions is very important in helping river fishermen adapt to changes in the environment and fishing economy in the Sebangau Katingan National Park Area. The policy implications in the social negotiation space are recognition of community rights, community participation and equality.
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References
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Wiranto. 2018. Sepuluh Cara Baru Kelola Kawasan Konservasi Di Indonesia: Membangun “Organisai Pembelajar.” Jakarta, Indonesia: Dirjen KSDAE Kementrian Lingkungan Hidup dan Kehutanan.
Boomgaard, P., David E. F. Henley, and Freek Colombijn. 2022. Paper Landscapes: Explorations in the Environmental History of Indonesia. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill.
Boomgaard, Peter. 1998. “Hunting and Trapping in the Indonesian Archipelago, 1500–1950.” Pp. 185–213 in. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill.
Bos, Astrid B., Veronique De Sy, Amy E. Duchelle, Stibniati Atmadja, Sytze De Bruin, Sven Wunder, and Martin Herold. 2020. “Integrated Assessment of Deforestation Drivers and Their Alignment with Subnational Climate Change Mitigation Efforts.” Environmental Science & Policy 114:352–65. doi: 10.1016/j.envsci.2020.08.002.
Bourdieu, Pierre, and Pierre Bourdieu. 2002. Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgement of Taste. 11. print. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard Univ. Press.
Cattau, Megan E., Mark E. Harrison, Iwan Shinyo, Sady Tungau, María Uriarte, and Ruth DeFries. 2016. “Sources of Anthropogenic Fire Ignitions on the Peat-Swamp Landscape in Kalimantan, Indonesia.” Global Environmental Change 39:205–19. doi: 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2016.05.005.
Cribb, Phillip, and Johan Hermans. 2015. “The Conservation of Madagascar’s Orchids . A Model for an Integrated Conservation Project.” Lankesteriana 7(1–2). doi: 10.15517/lank.v7i1-2.19514.
Durrenberger, E. Paul, and Gísli Pálsson. 1987. “Ownership at Sea: Fishing Territories and Access to Sea Resources.” American Ethnologist 14(3):508–22. doi: 10.1525/ae.1987.14.3.02a00060.
Ghufran H. Kordi K. 2010. Budi daya ikan patin di kolam terpal: lebih mudah, lebih murah, lebih untung. Cet. 1. Yogyakarta: Andi.
Harris, Marvin. 2001. Cultural Materialism: The Struggle for a Science of Culture. Updated ed. Walnut Creek, Calif.: AltaMira Press.
Januar, Rizky, Eli Nur Nirmala Sari, and Surahman Putra. 2021. “Dynamics of Local Governance: The Case of Peatland Restoration in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia.” Land Use Policy 102:105270. doi: 10.1016/j.landusepol.2020.105270.
JEWITT, S. L., D. NASIR, S. E. PAGE, J. O. RIELEY, and K. KHANAL. 2014. “Indonesia’s Contested Domains. Deforestation, Rehabilitation and Conservation-with-Development in Central Kalimantan’s Tropical Peatlands.” The International Forestry Review 16(4):405–20.
Kelley, Lisa C., Nancy Lee Peluso, Kimberly M. Carlson, and Suraya Afiff. 2020. “Circular Labor Migration and Land-Livelihood Dynamics in Southeast Asia’s Concession Landscapes.” Journal of Rural Studies 73:21–33. doi: 10.1016/j.jrurstud.2019.11.019.
Klokke, Arnoud Hendrik, and Marko Mahin. 2012. Langs de rivieren van midden-Kalimantan: cultureel erfgoed van de Ngaju en Ot Danum Dayak: cultural heritage of the Ngaju and Ot Danum Dayak = Along the rivers of Central Kalimantan. Leiden: Museum Volkenkunde, National Museum of Ethnology.
Koentjaraningrat. 2005. Pengantar antropologi. Cet. ke-3. Jakarta: Rineka Cipta.
Li, Tania, and Pujo Semedi. 2021. Plantation Life: Corporate Occupation in Indonesia’s Oil Palm Zone. Durham (Md.): Duke University press.
Meilani, Mei, Wahyu Andayani, Lies Rahayu Wijayanti Faida, Fitria Dewi Susanti, Rodd Myers, and Ahmad Maryudi. 2021. “Symbolic Consultation and Cultural Simplification in the Establishment of an Indonesian National Park and Its Impacts on Local Livelihoods.” Forest and Society 494–505. doi: 10.24259/fs.v5i2.11875.
Moeliono, Ilya, and Irawan Itta. 2015. Laporan Kajian Kritisa Dan Gagasan Pengembangan, Strategi Pengembangan Sumber Penghidupan Dan Pengelolaan Sumberdaya Alam Di Kawasan Sebangau. Kalimantan tengah, Indonesia: World Wildlife Fund (WWF) - Kalimantan Tengah.
Nurrochmat, Dodik Ridho, Rizaldi Boer, Muhammad Ardiansyah, Gito Immanuel, and Handian Purwawangsa. 2020. “Policy Forum: Reconciling Palm Oil Targets and Reduced Deforestation: Landswap and Agrarian Reform in Indonesia.” Forest Policy and Economics 119:102291. doi: 10.1016/j.forpol.2020.102291.
Octora, Merissa. 2018. “The Local Knowledge of Dayaknese: Case Study of Pahewan Tabalean.” in Proceedings of the International Conference on Contemporary Social and Political Affairs (IcoCSPA 2017). Surbaya, Indonesia: Atlantis Press.
Pálsson, Gísli, and E. Paul Durrenberger. 1990. “Systems of Production and Social Discourse: The Skipper Effect Revisited.” American Anthropologist 92(1):130–41. doi: 10.1525/aa.1990.92.1.02a00090.
Peluso, Nancy Lee, and Christian Lund. 2011. “New Frontiers of Land Control: Introduction.” Journal of Peasant Studies 38(4):667–81. doi: 10.1080/03066150.2011.607692.
Rosantika, P.M. and Swasto, D.F. (2021) ‘Strategi Adaptasi Masyarakat Nelayan Pasca Penataan Permukiman Di Kelurahan Sumber Jaya Bengkulu’, Jurnal Riset Pembangunan, 4(1), pp. 13–25. Available at: https://doi.org/10.36087/jrp.v4i1.83.
Roviana, Maria Theresia Astika. 2015. “Forest Management: Community’s Livelihood vs Forest Conservation A Case Study of Sebangau National Park, Indonesia.” Insternational Institute of Social Studies, Hague.
Santika, Truly, Sugeng Budiharta, Elizabeth A. Law, Rona A. Dennis, Alue Dohong, Matthew J. Struebig, Medrilzam, Haris Gunawan, Erik Meijaard, and Kerrie A. Wilson. 2020. “Interannual Climate Variation, Land Type and Village Livelihood Effects on Fires in Kalimantan, Indonesia.” Global Environmental Change 64:102129. doi: 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2020.102129.
Semedi, Pujo. 2003. Close to the Stone, Far from the Throne: The Story of a Javanese Fishing Community, 1820s-1990s. 1st. ed. Yogyakarta: Benangmerah.
Semedi, Pujo, Dicky Hardianto, and Ika N. Krishnayanti. 1998. Ketika nelayan harus sandar dayung: studi nelayan miskin di Desa Kirdowono. Ed. 1. Jakarta: KONPHALINDO.
Sudibyo, Lintang. 2016. “Antara Konservasi Dan Pariwisata: Dinamika Sosial Ekonomi Nelayan Di Taman Nasional Komodo.” Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
White, Leslie A. 2016. The Evolution of Culture. 0 ed. Routledge.
Wikramanayake, Eric, Eric Dinerstein, Colby Loucks, David Olson, John Morrison, John Lamoreux, Meghan McKnight, and Prashant Hedao. 2002. “Ecoregions in Ascendance: Reply to Jepson and Whittaker.” Conservation Biology 16(1):238–43. doi: 10.1046/j.1523-1739.2002.01403.x.
Wiranto. 2018. Sepuluh Cara Baru Kelola Kawasan Konservasi Di Indonesia: Membangun “Organisai Pembelajar.” Jakarta, Indonesia: Dirjen KSDAE Kementrian Lingkungan Hidup dan Kehutanan.
Published
2025-05-28
How to Cite
PITOYO, Dhanu; WIDYA, Anisya Nur; GRAVITIANI, Evi.
Survival Strategies: Socio-Economic Adaptation of River Fishing Communities in the Sebangau Conservation Area.
SOCA: Jurnal Sosial Ekonomi Pertanian, [S.l.], v. 18, n. 3, p. 322-333, may 2025.
ISSN 2615-6628.
Available at: <https://ojs.unud.ac.id/index.php/soca/article/view/126167>. Date accessed: 31 oct. 2025.
doi: https://doi.org/10.24843/SOCA.2024.v18.i03.p05.
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