Abstrak
To explore the tension between tradition and religion in local land management practices, as well as the problems caused by climate change and globalization, using three case studies from Indonesia. Anthropological, ecological, and related literature about three communities was reviewed. The communities chosen were the Mentawai tribe, the Mount Merapi people, and the Balinese community in Indonesia. The review focused on themes concerning these communities’ local beliefs and practices relating to ecology and understanding the role of human actors in the environment. As a guiding theoretical framework, Post-colonial and critical-theoretical theories were employed. The three case studies showed that traditional approaches to ecological land management are coming into conflict with government and global capitalist practices. The literature review found a sense of antagonism between external forces and local communities.This study proposes that local wisdom and indigenous knowledge are important resources in effectively and collaboratively managing contemporary environmental issues. This is important because such wisdom is often marginalized by modern scientific paradigms employed by centralized government and international agencies