Rethinking the Local Wisdom Approach in Peatland Restoration through the Case of Rantau Baru: A Critical Inquiry to the Present-Day Concept of Kearifan Lokal

Abstract

AbstractIn recent years, studies have promoted the efficacy of “local wisdom” in contributing to the prevention of peatland degradation and its fires in Indonesia. However, during the past quarter of a century, the related concept of indigenous knowledge (IK) has been criticized by various scholars for its deficiencies. The same deficiencies are found in the present-day use of the concept of local wisdom in academic papers. The ideology and idealism surrounding the concept narrows researchers’ epistemic perspectives to local lives, and the designation of knowledge as local wisdom confines the trans-regional problem to local areas. Through observation of the situation in Rantau Baru, this chapter examines the validity of IK, questions the present-day application of local wisdom to tropical peatland problems in academic research, and suggests the need to investigate the dynamism, interaction, and transformation of knowledge beyond the framework of local areas in order to better understand local realities and build a broader network of cooperation.