Ecological Justice Through Local Eyes: A Case Study of Community Forestry in Kalimantan

Abstract

This study explores how local forest user groups in Kalimantan conceptualize fairness, access, and sustainability in the context of community forestry co-management with the state. Using a grounded theory approach, we conducted in-depth interviews and participatory observations with indigenous Dayak communities who have long-standing relationships with their surrounding forest ecosystems. While state policies often define ecological justice through technical indicators such as resource quotas or permit compliance, our findings reveal that community members prioritize relational values such as ancestral rights, equitable decision-making, and long-term ecological balance rooted in customary law. These notions of justice are shaped by historical patterns of marginalization, contested land claims, and the shifting authority of village leaders, NGOs, and forestry officials. The study highlights how local actors navigate bureaucratic procedures, reinterpret legal frameworks, and assert moral claims over forest stewardship. Rather than simply adapting to institutional rules, communities actively reshape the meaning of justice in environmental governance. This research contributes to a more grounded understanding of ecological justice by showing how local knowledge, cultural identity, and historical grievances inform everyday practices of sustainability. It calls for development and conservation policies that center local perspectives not as data points but as frameworks of governance in their own right.