The communication model of forest management based on environmental awareness

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to do an in-depth comprehension about local wisdom values related to the forest management in Nagari Koto Malintang, Tanjung Raya District, Agam Regency, West Sumatra Province, and to find a communication model in the forest management based on environmental awareness. Research on indigenous forest management has been widely done, but information related to information flow and communication pattern of indigenous people in conveying local wisdom values to the management of forests is little to find.

Design/methodology/approach

The design employed in this research was case study and field research. Field research is the research to intensively examine the background of current state of the environmental interaction according to these social units: individual, group, institution or society. The research was undertaken in Nagari Koto Malintang, Tanjung Raya District, Agam Regency. The location selection was conducted purposively under the preserved condition of the forests in Koto Malintang, despite the damages occurring to most of forests in Indonesia. The preserved condition of Nagari Koto Malintang forest is characterized by many trees with diameter of 2–3 meters left undisturbed by the communities, so that they are protected from the danger of landslides. The determination of informants in this research was made by purposive sampling.

Findings

The community and government of Nagari Koto Malintang has arranged the space and land of Nagari, by making a division as follows: the upper area is made into catchment area, middle area is made into a plantation area and settlement area and the lower area is made into cultivated land. The ecologic benefits of the forest for the community of Nagari Koto Malintang are: liberating the community from the threats of flood and galodo, providing sufficient water availability, providing good air quality and maintain and preserve flora and fauna. The perceived economic benefits are: the availability of adequate irrigation for agriculture, plantations, tabek and ponds of which crops provide economic benefits to the community. Socially, forests make the community members’ relationship grow closer, improve community participation in forest management, create jobs and maintain local knowledge and institutions.

Originality/value

This is one of few studies resulted from different customs and norms of each indigenous community, thus it is necessary to study the uniqueness of Nagari Koto Malintang community in managing the forest. This research was conducted to obtain complete description of how indigenous people of Nagari Koto Malintang community build communications and disseminate information related to wisdom, thus giving rise to common awareness in the sustainable forest management and ultimately bringing up a model of forest management communication.

Citation

Yanti, R., Syahza, A., Hidir, A. and Suwondo, S. (2018), "The communication model of forest management based on environmental awareness", Management of Environmental Quality, Vol. 29 No. 6, pp. 1093-1109. https://doi.org/10.1108/MEQ-02-2018-0028