Public Opinion About Community Participation in Natural Resources Governance: A Population Survey in Indonesia and Malaysia

ABSTRACT The international conservation and natural resources communities have increasingly embraced the principle of community participation. This rhetoric around participation has gained power and influence in setting countries' agendas for natural resources governance, largely without a sound understanding of public opinion on the issues. As such, this paper seeks to better understand public opinion about community participation in natural resources management and decision‐making, and the factors underpinning those opinions. We draw on a large quantitative population survey in Indonesia and Malaysia to examine views on who should participate in forest management, how actively communities should participate in decision‐making, and how geography, experiences, and other social factors affect these views. Our study shows that over half (59%) of respondents prefer that local people be involved in forest management and taught any skills they need, whereas 41% prioritize managers with existing skills. Almost half of participants also indicate that communities should be actively involved in decisions that affect their lives (43%). However, perceptions about participation varied significantly with experiences and other social factors. For example, proximity to forests was associated with prioritizing local involvement; conversely, those most familiar with forest regulations preferred involving people with existing necessary skills. Overall, these findings demonstrate how perspectives about participation are not universally held across populations. This highlights the importance of considering perspectives from diverse social groups when designing and enacting participatory mechanisms within natural resources policies, and exploring how opportunities and capacity to participate are understood and valued by those on the front lines of implementation.