<![CDATA[Social conflict prevention in culturally diverse regions requires governance approaches that can connect formal institutions with community-based social resources. This study examines collaborative governance based on local wisdom in preventing social conflict in Southeast Maluku. The study uses a qualitative descriptive approach, with data collected through interviews, observations, and documentation involving government officials, customary leaders, religious leaders, community leaders, and youth representatives. Data were analyzed using the interactive model of Miles, Huberman, and Saldaña. The findings show that Larvul Ngabal and Ain Ni Ain provide a strong socio-cultural foundation through trust, shared values, social norms, and social cohesion. However, the implementation of collaborative governance remains suboptimal. Formal institutional arrangements exist, but coordination among stakeholders is limited; facilitative leadership remains more reactive than preventive; and community participation in conflict prevention is still limited. Local wisdom is also not yet fully integrated into formal governance mechanisms, resulting in collaboration that tends to intensify after conflict emerges rather than before tensions escalate. The study therefore proposes an enriched collaborative governance model that positions local wisdom as contextual social capital supporting the four dimensions of collaborative governance: starting conditions, institutional design, facilitative leadership, and collaborative process. A limitation of this study is that it focuses on the socio-cultural and institutional context of Southeast Maluku, which may limit the direct transferability of the proposed model to regions with different cultural and governance characteristics. Future research should examine the model in other culturally diverse regions and investigate how local wisdom can be institutionalized within formal conflict-prevention policies while maintaining its community-based character.]]>
