Author ORCID Identifier
Rajib Gandi: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3645-8641
Lala M. Kolopaking: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3480-7358
Didin S. Damanhuri: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-6793-0231
Sofyan Sjaf: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0856-2409
DOI
10.65844/2549-4333.1274
Abstract
Rural youth in Indonesia are increasingly entangled in overlapping pressures of industrial expansion and ecological conservation that redefine local livelihoods and participation. In Cigombong, Bogor, West Java, where the Lido Special Economic Zone borders Gunung Gede Pangrango National Park, youth confront intertwined political-economic and ecological exclusions that marginalize them from both development and conservation benefits. While state narratives portray youth as agents of rural transformation, many remain symbolically included but materially excluded from decision-making. This study examines how rural youth activists exercise agency and negotiate structural power within these contested arenas, analyzing how such interactions shape their livelihoods, participation, and emerging ecological practices. Using a mixed-methods approach and Bourdieu's theory of capital and field, the study identifies three youth typologies—Marginal-Trapped, Independent-Adaptive, and Progressive-Transformative—based on structural positioning and livelihood strategies. Results show that over half of the youth face multidimensional poverty and symbolic inclusion in village development due to limited access to economic, political, and ecological capital. In conservation buffer zones bordering Gunung Gede Pangrango National Park, youth experience spatial enclosure but develop forms of productive resistance through community ecotourism and localized land-use claims. These practices reflect not only socio-political adaptation but also emerging ecological agency. Statistical analysis confirms that local governance structures significantly influence livelihood outcomes, yet structural exclusion persists even in relatively advanced villages. This study argues that genuine participatory development requires redistributive justice in socio-ecological resources. Situating rural youth at the intersection of environmental governance and rural inequality, the article contributes to critical forest-society scholarship by revealing how youth act not merely as beneficiaries but as political and ecological agents in contested rural transformations.
Recommended Citation
Gandi, R., Kolopaking, L., Damanhuri, D., & Sjaf, S. (2026). Rural Youth Activism amid Multi-Arena Contestations of Infrastructure, Industry, and Conservation Landscapes. Forest and Society, 10(2), 686-706. https://doi.org/10.65844/2549-4333.1274 Available at: https://scholarhub.unhas.ac.id/fs/vol10/iss2/4
Pages
686-706
Received Date
28 July 2025
Accepted Date
11 October 2025