Forest and Society

Welcome to Forest and Society

Forest and Society is an international journal published by Forestry Faculty of Hasanuddin University that promotes research making clear conceptual and methodological contributions particularly research engaging with people, land, and forest, including topics such as The Commons, Commoning, and Collective Action; Landscape Governance; Political Ecology and Environmental Justice; International Forest Regime; Agrarian Transformation; Social Movement and Resistance; Technopolitics, Knowledge Production, and Environmental Communication; Rights, Gender, and Indigeneity; Mobility, Labor, and Demographics; Climate Change and Carbon Forestry; Frontiers and Extractive Industries; and Nature Conservation and Protected Areas.

While our geographical focus is on Southeast Asia, we actively encourage submissions that offer comparative analyses across regions. The journal bridges theoretical and applied research, supporting capacity-building initiatives to improve regional research quality. We welcome proposals for Special Issues on specific themes.

Current Issue

Volume 10, Issue 1 (2026)View issue

Featured Content

Current Articles

    • Original Research Article1 January 2026

      Umbilical Cord Connections: Ban Huay E Kang Women's Ecological Knowledge Transmission and Mobilization

      Areerat Worawongwasu, Yuting Zhou, Phyo Su San
      In the Pga K’nyau village of Ban Huay E Kang in the Chiang Mai province of northern Thailand, a newborn's umbilical cord is placed inside a bamboo container and hung from a tree. This is a sacred act of establishing a lifelong connection between each villager and the forest. The practice is known in the Pga K’nyau language as de paw thoo. This tradition has faced significant disruption from state-led conservation policies and the institutionalization of childbirth in state hospitals, which Ban Huay E Kang villagers contest through their revitalization of de paw thoo. Based on collaborative ethnographic research, we examine how spiritual, ecological, and cultural relationships structure Pga K’nyau epistemologies. In this research project, we ask: how is knowledge of de paw thoo transmitted and mobilized by women in Ban Huay E Kang to access resources? This paper argues that Pga K’nyau women in Ban Huay E Kang strategically transmit and mobilize de paw thoo as evidence of their long-standing relationship with the forest, to contest state territorialization, resist extractive state policies, and assert cultural belonging. We argue that de paw thoo functions not solely as cultural memory but as a dynamic tool for ecological governance that contests state territorialization and resists extractive policies. Drawing on feminist political ecology, the project investigates the tensions and innovations within these practices of intergenerational ecological knowledge transmission. This paper contributes to emerging scholarship on how gender, cosmology, and environment intersect in the making and remaking of Indigenous knowledge in upland Southeast Asia. De paw thoo serves as a lifeline of knowledge and a strategic political claim that secures the community’s reciprocal relationship with their ancestral land.
    • Original Research Article1 January 2026

      Elephant Economics and Agrarian Transitions: Conditions for Benefiting From Elephant Tourism Market in an Upland Karen (Paganyaw) Village

      Xiaoyun Neo, Aswin Baharuddin, Nur Fadilah Sunardi
      In rural, upland northern Thailand, Indigenous Karen (Paganyaw) communities have long practiced diversified subsistence cultivation and forest-based livelihoods. Yet state conservation policies and tourism-led development are reshaping these agrarian systems and livelihoods. This paper explores how one Karen (Paganyaw) community in Chiang Mai province reconfigures its livelihood strategies amid the decline of swidden cultivation and the rise of elephant tourism as a new rural economy. Beyond subsistence cultivation, villagers are seeking to diversify their households and personal income by participating in this new economic sector. We argue that the transition out of small-scale agriculture into tourism is not a neutral market choice but responds to the same political-economic pressures that have historically displaced swidden systems. Drawing on 32 qualitative interviews, this ethnographic research examines diverse forms of Indigenous involvement in the elephant tourism supply chain crucially determined by non-capitalist social relations and kinship networks.  By identifying the socio-economic conditions – land and capital ownership, and familial and social networks – that result in socially-differentiated and stratified allocation of benefits from elephant tourism, it disenchants the notion of a monolithic ‘community’ yet reveals one empirical case of how Indigenous peoples navigate shifting economies and sustain meaning in their livelihood.
    • Original Research Article1 January 2026

      The Unequal Partnership Behind Biodiversity Conservation Efforts in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo

      Alexandra Rasoamanana, Eliezer Majambu, Dominique Bikaba, Symphorien Ongolo, Emilie Dupuits
      The growing demand for inclusivity in conservation has led international conservation organisations (ICOs) to collaborate more with local conservation organisations (LCOs). This paper assesses such partnerships through a community-led initiative establishing a wildlife corridor between Maiko and Kahuzi-Biega National Parks. In this region, resource conflicts are often cited as a political justification for recurring conservation failures. However, this framing overlooks crucial questions about how fairness and sustainability in conservation are constructed in practice, particularly within contested forestlands where multiple groups claim legitimacy over ownership. We analyse the structural conditions that enable or constrain the formation of authentic partnerships. Such partnerships are characterised by equitable negotiation, shared goals, and reciprocal processes, all designed to enhance local autonomy and achieve fair, equitable, and long-term conservation outcomes. Using document reviews, fieldwork, and interviews, our study finds that although conservation areas are legally designated, LCOs primarily act as service providers, implementing ICO-led projects. ICO support is often short-term and project-based, prioritising the legal recognition of conservation areas to meet global expansion targets, but lacking sustained financial commitment. Unclear exit strategies further undermine LCO autonomy, fostering dependency rather than empowerment. Drawing on Scott's patron-client theory, we argue that ICOs, as patrons, shape outcomes to align with their own interests, while LCOs, as clients, adapt strategies to maximise available benefits. This reciprocal dynamic perpetuates inefficiency and reinforces deep-rooted power imbalances. Our findings highlight that securing long-term conservation success requires transforming the structural conditions that inhibit authentic partnerships, placing far greater emphasis on empowering local actors.
    • Original Research Article1 January 2026

      The Disenchanted Grove: Postcolonial Modernity and the Decline of Ri’i Bamboo Governance in Flores, Indonesia

      Handoyo Handoyo, Puji Hastuti, Lukas Rumboko Wibowo, Budiyanto Dwi Prasetyoa, Surati Surati, Kresno Agus Hendarto, Lila Juniyanti, Dewi Ratna Kurnia Sari, Desmiwati Desmiwati, Sanusi Sanusi, Ane Dwi Septina, Ramawati Ramawati
      This article explores the erosion of ri’i, a traditional ecological governance system practiced by the Ngadha people in Flores, Indonesia, in the face of modernization and postcolonial development. Based on long-term ethnographic fieldwork and interviews with cultural elders, ritual practitioners, and local authorities, the study documents how ri’i—a ritual-based regulatory system for bamboo resource management—has been progressively dismantled through the combined pressures of technocratic governance, land commodification, and shifts toward individualism. Empirically, the main drivers identified are state land certification (including Sertifikat Hak Milik, SHM) and village modernization campaigns, which reconfigure communal tenure and everyday governance practices. Once embedded in sacred cosmologies and collective decision-making, ri’i rituals are now rarely practiced and are increasingly treated as incompatible with contemporary development paradigms. Drawing on political ecology and postcolonial theory, the study analyzes how land certification and settlement reorganization render customary relations legible to administrative and market logics, fragmenting nua and sa’o stewardship and weakening sanction regimes that once made restraint socially binding. The findings show that disenchantment is not merely a top-down imposition but also a result of negotiations, ambivalences, and internal tensions within the community. The article further examines how technical sustainability interventions—particularly the Hutan Bambu Lestari (HBL) model developed by Yayasan Bambu Lestari (YBL)—can function as partial substitutes: they support harvest scheduling and monitoring through administrative markers, yet do not automatically rebuild the moral and relational authority through which ri’i historically governed extraction. By foregrounding local narratives and governance practices, this article calls for recognizing ri’i as a legitimate and culturally rooted form of ecological governance and proposes policy responses that move beyond generic “hybrid models” toward actionable measures that repair communal tenure authority, deliberative practice, and sanction legitimacy.

Most Popular Articles

  • Journal Article
    1 July 2020

    An annotated bird checklist for Gam island, Raja Ampat, including field notes on species monitoring and conservation

    Julian Schrader, Christoph Parsch, Soetjipto Moeljono, John D Kalor, Tim Hofmann, Christoph Weinrich, Fabian Mühlberger, Christina Stinn, Michael Mühlenberg, Cornelia Sattler
    Species checklists are a fundamental component of biodiversity research. They foster understanding of species distributions and habitat preferences, thus reducing gaps of knowledge in geographical occurrences of species. Especially in light of the limited availability of data on species distributions for Tanah Papua, an increasing scientific focus on the region is crucial to foster and refine the knowledge of species occurrences and to inform potential conservation planning. Despite a strong focus on conservation of Raja Ampat´s marine areas, surprisingly few studies have focused on the terrestrial biodiversity of the archipelago. As a consequence, detailed species checklists are largely missing. Here, we provide a preliminary bird species checklist for the island of Gam and its surrounding islands, located in the central Raja Ampat archipelago. During nine sampling periods between 2013 and 2019, we recorded 132 bird species in six distinct habitat types. Of the detected species, six are considered threatened by IUCN Red List criteria. We further recorded three new species for Gam Island, thereby expanding their known extent of occurrence.
    Read More
  • Journal Article
    3 January 2025

    The Illegal Online Trade of Indonesian Protected Pitcher Plants

    Uswatun Hasanah, Retno Utami, Yatha Maziyyatul Hijriyah, Eni Nuraeni, Dwi Hilda Putri, Syahrul Kurniawan, Iyan Robiansyah
    Indonesia is a global hotspot of pitcher plant diversity with 80 Nepenthes species recorded to date - 59 protected under Indonesian law - and more species likely to be discovered and described in the future. Under Indonesian law, these protected Nepenthes can only be traded if they originate from artificially propagated sources, and trade necessitates specific permits and government-issued certification. The present study aimed to evaluate the trade of Nepenthes species protected by Indonesian law in Indonesian-language online markets. The trade data was searched in March 2024 in the top five most visited e-commerce in Indonesia, i.e., Shopee, Tokopedia, Lazada, Blibli, and Bukalapak. We discovered that 37 Nepenthes species (29 endemic to Indonesia; 14 species globally threatened) under protection in Indonesia were sold online, with 501 advertisements from 296 sellers. The majority (89.2%) of these sellers operated from Java Island. Our research documented the sale of 2,552 Nepenthes plants, totaling IDR 56,660,000 (USD $3,480). Additionally, sellers reported having 536,757 plants in stock, potentially worth over IDR 92 billion (USD $5,664,000). None of the sellers had permits for the Nepenthes they sold, indicating that they sold them illegally. Therefore, despite being designated as protected species in name, they lack effective protection in practice. The number of traded Nepenthes recorded in our study was higher than that reported by CITES (157 plants) over a 49-year period. Among the traded species, N. clipeata and N. sumatrana are two Critically Endangered species in the top 10 most advertised. These findings could aid the Indonesian Ministry of Environment and Forestry in identifying key players and regions involved in the trade, as well as assist conservationists and policymakers in determining which species need strong protection measures.
    Read More
  • Journal Article
    10 July 2025

    The Role of Ecosystem Services in Holistic Conservation within Protected Areas: A Case Study of the Song Thanh National Park, Vietnam

    Tuyen Nghiem, Sumeet Saksena, Hue T. Ha, Truong Dao, Toan Le, Huong D. Vu, Dien Nguyen, Truong Q. Hoc
    Vietnam has made a strong commitment to biodiversity conservation, as evidenced by its extensive network of protected areas. However, environmental issues persist in protected areas. Often, the resulting violence complicates the situation, making it more challenging to analyze and manage. We studied the perceptions of people in the buffer zone of the Song Thanh National Park, Quang Nam province, regarding the current status of ecosystem services (ES), the importance of ecosystem services, their changes over time, and people's participation in protecting ecosystem services. We employed a mixed-methods approach, combining qualitative and quantitative data. We conducted semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, key informant interviews, and household surveys. We found that local communities were aware of the current status of ecosystem services they used and the importance of prominent selected services, such as swidden agriculture and water resources, in their lives. The study also showed how people perceived the improvement of regulatory services since the establishment of the national park, while the extraction of forest ecosystem services led to legal violations. People's dependence on the provisioning services provided by protected areas often leads to environmental conflicts in their management. This study provides strong evidence that conservation is essential; however, an ES approach is needed to manage protected areas effectively to meet conservation objectives.
    Read More
  • Journal Article
    3 January 2025

    Historical Land Use and Land Cover Change of the Lake Tempe Region: A Multi-source Data Landscape Reconstruction

    Syahruddin Mansyur, Nur Ihsan Djindar, Wasita Wasita, Imam Hindarto, Nani Somba, Hasrianti Hasrianti, Moh. Ali Fadillah, Hamka Naping, Sofyan Setia Budi
    Lake Tempe, situated in the Wajo Regency, is an ancient lake in Indonesia that plays a crucial role in the socio-historical evolution of Southern Sulawesi. The Lontara manuscript, a significant source of regional history, highlights Lake Tempe as a vital resource for adjacent communities. Contemporary narratives of Lake Tempe, however, are overshadowed by recurrent flooding attributed to accelerated sedimentation leading to lake shallowing, which impedes its capacity to manage the inflow from tributary rivers. This study aims to offer a historical perspective by reconstructing the landscape and detailing the evolution of land use and land cover (LU/LC) in the Lake Tempe region, thus enhancing our understanding of the lake's current conditions. We compiled an array of historical and archaeological data, including manuscripts, archival maps, and satellite imagery, spanning the 13th to 20th centuries. Our approach involves historical LU/LC modeling to provide an intricate depiction of the landscape evolution in the Lake Tempe area. Moreover, we presented modeled projections of LU/LC alterations over approximately 86 years (1930-2016). The analysis reveals that pre-20th century landscape dynamics in the region were influenced by several factors: demographic shifts due to local migration, interplay among local elites over natural resource control, and integration into global trade networks from the 13th century onwards. These elements collectively spurred deforestation during periods of agricultural expansion. Starting in the early 20th century, the agricultural development policies of both the Dutch Colonial and the Republic of Indonesia's governments further accelerated land conversion for distinct agricultural purposes. This historical narrative underscores the fact that centuries of anthropogenic activity have been central to the hydrometeorological challenges faced throughout the Lake Tempe region.
    Read More
  • Journal Article
    25 June 2019

    Traditional usage of medicinal plants by Temiar tribes in the State of Kelantan, Peninsular Malaysia

    Pakhriazad Hassan Zaki, Seca Gandaseca, Noorhayati Mohd Rashidi, Mohd Hasmadi Ismail
    Traditional medicine has deep historical linkages and cultural roots. In a rural community, it is practice based on the ethnological, medical and heritage of the practitioners. Temiar indigenous tribe of Orang Asli in Kelantan, have their traditional way of beliefs and healing practices. This study examines the remedies using medicinal plants and herbs among the tribe members in Kampung Pasik, Kelantan, Malaysia. A structured questionnaire and in-depth interviews were conducted with 250 respondents. A total of 18 species of medicinal plants was recorded preferably used by the tribes. Results indicate that traditional phytoremedies practices play an important role in helping their healthcare system with the help of the tribe healers. Cultivated medicinal plant species represent 94% of the source, whereas 4.4% were found wild in the forest and 1.6% grown around their settlement. This study revealed that five preparations methods such as boiling (27.56%), pounded (27.45%), squeeze (21.60%), drying (14.17%) or concoction of various part of medicinal plants (9.22%). The most applied were by drinking (35.29%), chewing (32.70%) and 19.89% rubbing, poultice (6.40%) and shower ingredients (5.72%).
    Read More
  • Journal Article
    9 January 2023

    Estimation and Mapping Above-Ground Mangrove Carbon Stock Using Sentinel-2 Data Derived Vegetation Indices in Benoa Bay of Bali Province, Indonesia

    A. A. Md. Ananda Putra Suardana, Nanin Anggraini, Muhammad Rizki Nandika, Kholifatul Aziz, Abd. Rahman As-syakur, Azura Ulfa, Agung Dwi Wijaya, Wiji Prasetio, Gathot Winarso, Ratih Dewanti
    Carbon dioxide (CO2) is one of the greenhouse gases that causes global warming with the highest concentration in the atmosphere. Mangrove forests can absorb CO2 three times higher than terrestrial forests and tropical rainforests. Moreover, mangrove forests can be a source of Indonesian income in the form of a blue economy, therefore an accurate method is needed to investigates mangrove carbon stock. Utilization of remote sensing data with the results of the above-ground carbon (AGC) detection model of mangrove forests based on multispectral imaging and vegetation index, can be a solution to get fast, cheap, and accurate information related to AGC estimation. This study aimed to investigates the best model for estimating the AGC of mangroves using Sentinel-2 imagery in Benoa Bay, Bali Province. The random forest (RF) method was used to classified the difference between mangrove and non-mangrove with the treatment of several parameters. Furthermore, a semi-empirical approach was used to assessed and map the AGC of mangroves. Allometric equations were used to calculated and produced AGC per species. Moreover, the model was built with linear regression equations for one variable x, and multiple regression equations for more than one x variable. Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) was used to assess the validation of the model results. The results of the mangrove forests area detected in the research location around 1134.92 ha, with an Overall Accuracy (OA) of 0.984 and a kappa coefficient of 0.961. This study highlights that the best model was the combination of IRECI and TRVI vegetation indices (RMSE: 11.09 Mg/ha) for a model based on red edge bands. Meanwhile, the best results from the model that does not use the red edge band were the combination of TRVI and DVI vegetation indices (RMSE: 13.63 Mg/ha). The use of red edge and NIR bands is highly recommended in building the AGC model of mangrove forests because they can increase the accuracy value. Thus, the results of this study are highly recommended in estimating the AGC of mangrove forests, because it has been proven to be able to increase the accuracy value of previous studies using optical images.
    Read More

Readership Activity