Ecology, Environment and Conservation Paper

COMMUNITY CONSERVATION BEHAVIOR IN CONTROLLING OF FOREST AND PEATLAND FIRES, IN THE KALAWA VILLAGE FOREST, INDONESIA

Penyang, Syekhfani, Mochtar Luthfi Rayes and Mangku Purnomo

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the conservation behavior of Kalawa Subdistrict community in controlling forest and land fires. Their conservation behavior was suspected to be the main reason behind severe fires in Kalawa Village Forest occurred in 2015. The research was carried out in December 2017-April 2018, using 80 respondents selected by purposive sampling. Determination of behavior values for each indicator was done using Likert scale techniques. A descriptive presentation was used to explain the indicators given based on the percentage of respondents’ answers. The results exhibited that the community around the Kalawa Village Forest possess low participation during socialization, activeness in providing a suggestion, and initiatives in reporting land and forest fire incidents, assisting firefighting in the field, post-fire evaluation meetings, and proposing rehabilitation initiatives after forest and land fires. The efforts to socialize the control of forest and land fires have not been right on target and government support implementation has not been optimal. It was concluded that the Kalawa Subdistrict community conservation behavior in controlling forest and land fires is low.