Shifting conflict into collaboration: peatland fires mitigation in the biosphere conservation transition zone in Sumatra, Indonesia
Rijal Ramdani
A B * and Eko Priyo Purnomo B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Department of Geographical and Historical Studies, University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland.
B Department of Government Affairs and Administration, Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta, Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
* Correspondence to: rijal.ramdani@uef.fi
International Journal of Wildland Fire 31(12) 1103-1113 https://doi.org/10.1071/WF22066
Submitted: 9 May 2022 Accepted: 12 October 2022 Published: 1 December 2022
© 2022 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing on behalf of IAWF. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC)
Abstract
Background: Many natural resource-related conflicts throughout the globe have resulted in environmental degradation. In Sumatra, Indonesia, a conflict occurred between a timber company and the local community over peatland water sharing, causing annual peatland fires in the transition zone of biosphere conservation.
Aim: This study seeks to critically analyse what turning points shifted this conflict to collaboration and what roles did the convener play in the processes involved in transitioning these relationships from conflict to collaboration.
Methods: The data were collected through face-to-face interviews, participatory observations, document analyses, and GIS mapping carried out in 2016, 2018, and 2020.
Key findings: The findings show that: (1) the conflicting parties realised that there is uncertainty about the problem of peatland fires they face; (2) each party is mutually dependent, for example, concerning legitimacy and knowledge sharing of the fire mitigation; and (3) they are interested in obtaining consequential incentives, such as funding for the local community and mandatory regulation for the timber company.
Conclusion: We argue that the convener’s role through its legitimacy, facilitation, mandate, and persuasion is critical.
Implication: Without the convener’s presence, the conflict may have never been resolved and could not be turned into collaborative action.
Keywords: canal block, convener, cooperation, environmental degradation, GHG emission, Southeast Asia, uncertainty, wildfires.
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