The institutional dialectic of deforestation and conservation: lessons from a matrilineal community in Indonesia

This study examines the nuanced relationship between agricultural practices and forest management among the Semende people of South Sumatra. While often stigmatized as "forest destroyers," findings reveal a more complex reality where deforestation for coffee cultivation coexists with robust conservation institutions. Results shows how traditional systems like tunggu tubang (matrilineal inheritance) create both drivers of agricultural expansion and mechanisms for forest protection. Deforestation occurs primarily through regulated conversion to coffee plantations in downstream areas, while upstream forests are preserved through customary institutions like ulu ayek protected zones. The study documents how collective decision-making within ataghan (specific farming landscapes organized by shared irrigation or topography) regulates land conversion, while collaborative labour through bebiye supports maintenance of rice paddies and forest boundaries. This demonstrates that traditional communities can develop sophisticated environmental governance systems that balance economic needs with conservation priorities. The Semende case offers valuable lessons for global forest governance, showing how indigenous institutions can manage the tension between development and conservation in ways that top-down policies often fail to achieve. Rather than simply condemning or glorifying local practices, this research argues for understanding the dialectical nature of traditional resource management systems in forest-border communities.