Pengelolaan Hutan Berkelanjutan melalui Ritual Adat Balala’ Dayak Kanayat’n - Rahmad Satria; Agustinus Astono; Purwanto; Yenny Aman Serah (Asosiasi Pembina Hukum Lingkungan Indonesia (PHLI), 2026)
ABSTRAK Pengelolaan hutan berkelanjutan merupakan tantangan serius di Indonesia, khususnya di Kalimantan Barat, akibat deforestasi, alih fungsi lahan, dan lemahnya penegakan hukum lingkungan. Di tengah absennya peran hukum negara, Masyarakat Adat Dayak Kanayat’n di Kecamatan Sengah Temila menerapkan sistem kearifan lokal melalui ritual adat Balala’ sebagai bentuk konservasi hutan. Balala’ adalah tradisi tahunan yang memuat larangan terhadap segala bentuk intervensi terhadap alam, seperti menebang pohon, membunuh hewan, atau pergi ke hutan. Tradisi Balala’ merefleksikan pemahaman ekologis yang mendalam serta keterhubungan spiritual antara manusia dan lingkungan. Berdasarkan kondisi tersebut, rumusan masalah dalam penelitian ini ialah bagaimana implementasi nilai-nilai pengelolaan hutan berkelanjutan melalui ritual adat Balala’ Dayak Kanayat’n. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk menganalisis dan mendeskripsikan praktik Balala’ dalam konteks konservasi hutan, serta meninjau relevansinya dengan teori Deep Ecology yang menekankan kesetaraan hak seluruh makhluk hidup dan ekosistem. Metode yang digunakan adalah penelitian hukum empiris dengan pendekatan yuridis sosiologis. Data diperoleh melalui observasi, wawancara dengan pemangku adat dan masyarakat, serta ketentuan hukum adat di Kecamatan Sengah Temila. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa ritual Balala’ merupakan bentuk nyata pengelolaan hutan berkelanjutan berbasis adat yang diwariskan lintas generasi dan dijalankan secara konsisten melalui mekanisme sosial dan spiritual yang kuat. Kata kunci: Balala’; Dayak Kanayat’n; Deep Ecology; Hukum Adat; Konservasi Hutan. ABSTRACT Sustainable forest management is a serious challenge in Indonesia, specifically in West Kalimantan, due to deforestation, land use change, and weak enforcement of environmental law. In the absence of the rule of law, indigenous community of Dayak Kanayat'n in Sengah Temila District applied a local wisdom system through balala' traditional ritual as a form of forest conservation. Balala' is an annual tradition that prohibits all forms of intervention against nature, such as cutting down trees, killing animals, or entering forests. This tradition reflects deep ecology understanding and spiritual connection between humans and the environment. The problem formulation was how to implement sustainable forest management values through traditional ritual of balala' Dayak Kanayat'n. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze and describe the practice of balala' in the context of forest conservation, as well as to review the relevance to the theory of deep ecology, which showed the equal rights of all living things and ecosystems. An empirical legal study was conducted adopting a sociological juridical method. Data were collected through observation, interviews with traditional and community stakeholders, and local traditional law provisions. The results showed that balala' ritual was a tangible form of traditional-based sustainable forest management passed down through generations and consistently carried out by strong social and spiritual mechanisms. Keywords: Balala’; Dayak Kanayat’n; Deep Ecology; Traditional Law; Forest Conservation.