IPB University Students Research Local Wisdom of Kasepuhan Girijaya as Key to Climate Change Resilience
IPB University students are researching the role of local wisdom of the Kasepuhan Girijaya indigenous community in Sukabumi Regency, West Java, in building resilience to climate change.
This research was conducted through the Student Creativity Program in Social Humanities Research (PKM-RSH) entitled “Unraveling the Common Thread of Local Wisdom in Kasepuhan Girijaya as the Key to Local Community Resilience in Facing Climate Change.”
The leader of the research team, Rida Awaliah, a 2022 student in the Natural Resources and Environmental Economics Study Program, explained that this research was inspired by the uniqueness of the Kasepuhan Girijaya indigenous community, which still maintains its traditions despite the pressures of climate change.
“We chose Kasepuhan Girijaya because it is an indigenous community in a highland area that is beginning to be affected by climate change and is highly dependent on natural resources,” said Rida.
She explained that the area now often experiences extreme weather, ranging from heavy rains that trigger minor landslides to periods of drought that reduce water flow.
“These conditions indicate a real vulnerability to climate change at the local level. However, preserved traditions and local wisdom serve as effective adaptation and mitigation strategies,” she added.
Rida explained that the term “common thread of local wisdom” refers to the core values that connect various forms of local wisdom within the community, including history, customary rules, and ecological practices that are in harmony with the environment.
This local wisdom, he continued, is manifested in various traditions such as Seren Taun, Rebo Wekasan, Hutan Larangan, and the determination of planting dates, which combine spiritual and ecological values.
“The prohibition of indiscriminate tree felling and the preservation of forests as a sacred source of life are concrete examples of the community’s adherence to customs. This increases ecological awareness and strengthens the community’s adaptive behavior to climate change,” she explained.
From the initial analysis using the five dimensions of the Climate Disaster Resilience Index (CDRI), the team found that the resilience of the Kasepuhan Girijaya community is relatively high, especially in the social, economic, and institutional aspects. Ordinal logistic regression analysis also showed that participation in the Rebo Wekasan tradition and respect for the Forbidden Forest had a significant effect on increasing community resilience.
Rida hopes that this research can be widely published and become a model for adaptation based on local culture. “We want the results of this study to be applied in other areas and become a basis for sustainable community development policies,” she said.
This research involved team members Anisa Nabhan Hanip (Resource and Environmental Economics), Yazmin Maulidya Meiranti (Communication and Community Development), and Wahyu Dewi Puspasari (Business). The team was supervised by Dr Eva Rachmawati, a lecturer at the Department of Forest Resource Conservation and Ecotourism, Faculty of Forestry and Environment, IPB University. (Fj) (IAAS/ASY)
