Role of customary forest recognition and social trust in community-based biodiversity conservation in Bungo, Jambi, Indonesia

RIDWAN RIDWAN (Department of Governance Studies, Universitas Muara Bungo. Jl. Diponegoro 12, Muara Bungo 37215, Jambi, Indonesia)
SITI MARYAM (Department of Governance Studies, Universitas Muara Bungo. Jl. Diponegoro 12, Muara Bungo 37215, Jambi, Indonesia)
DEDI EPRIADI (Department of Governance Studies, Universitas Muara Bungo. Jl. Diponegoro 12, Muara Bungo 37215, Jambi, Indonesia)
RIZKI RIZKI (Departmen of Horticultural Plant Cultivation, Politeknik Pertanian Negeri Payakumbuh. Jl. Raya Negara RW. 7, Koto Tuo, Harau, Lima Puluh Kota 26271, West Sumatera, Indonesia)
MD MAHMUDUL ALAM (BRAC Bussines Scholl, BRAC University. Kha 224 Pragati Sarani, Merul Badda, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh)
SUSI PUSPITA SARI (Department of Islamic economic law, Stitnu Sakinah Dharmasraya. Jl. Lintas Sumatera No.99, Koto Baru, Koto Baru, Dharmasraya 27681, West Sumatera, Indonesia)
ARWANSYAH KIRIN (Department of Islamic Studies, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia. Persiaran Tun Dr. Ismail, Parit Raja 86400, Johor Darul Ta'zim, Malaysia)

Biodiversitas Journal of Biological Diversity
Vol. 26 No. 9 (2025)

Abstract. Ridwan, Maryam S, Epriadi D, Rizki, Alam MDM, Sari SP, Kirin A. 2025. Role of customary forest recognition and social trust in community-based biodiversity conservation in Bungo, Jambi, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 26: 4511-4521. Forests, including those governed by customary practices, are critical ecosystems that help maintain global climate balance. This study explores how customary forest recognition and social beliefs shape community behavior in protecting biodiversity in the Datuk Sinaro Putih customary forest in Jambi, Indonesia. Data were collected using a descriptive qualitative design through 17 semi-structured interviews with customary leaders, village officials, members of the Customary Forest Management Institution (LPHA), youth, community leaders, and non-governmental organizations from February to October 2024. Data were refined through participant observation and document analysis. The findings indicate that customary forest recognition and social beliefs are positively correlated with conservation behavior. Seloko Adat, the indigenous oral tradition of Datuk Sinaro Putih local community, serves as a symbolic and behavioral system, preserving traditional ecological knowledge, upholding customary law, and fostering intergenerational responsibility. This study highlights how the recognition of customary forests and social trust not only discourages extractive behavior through customary sanctions but also embeds conservation values ??into people's daily lives. These findings suggest that forestry policies should recognize and strengthen the functions of customary institutions through legal support, institutional strength, and sustainable financing schemes. Policies that incorporate customary principles, such as ecological prohibitions and collective farming practices, can enhance the legitimacy and success of conservation while safeguarding ecosystems. Future research should include a more comprehensive multi-level governance model that integrates local wisdom with national policies and the global biodiversity agenda, and analysis of economic, spiritual, and cosmological dimensions, as well as the relationships between customary institutions and external actors.