Local Wisdom and its Implication for Nature Conservation

Abstract

Conservation is the practice of caring for resources sustainably in the future. This study aimed to examine local wisdom and the implication for nature conservation, especially in Merauke. This study not only focused on local wisdom in textbooks or teaching material but also local wisdom that happened around the respondents. 42 students of Musamus University served as respondents, which were chosen by purposive sampling. The data is numeric and non-numeric, collected through a questionnaire and interview. The results of the questionnaire were analyzed by using SPSS to identify the percentage of the students' responses toward local wisdom on nature conservation, while the result of the interview was analyzed by using Miles and Huberman's theory, which consisted of data reduction, data display, and conclusion verification. The questionnaire result showed that almost all respondents agreed if local wisdom contained in textbooks and teaching materials improved their awareness in nature conservation. Therefore, interview results, almost all respondents gave positive responses. Most of the respondents stated that reading books and getting teaching material about local wisdom, encouraged them to remember and realize different strategies for protecting the environment. Local wisdom reminds them of the importance of local wisdom and its implications for the utilization of nature. From the respondents, most of them know about sasi. By watching ritual sasi, know more about sasi, joined sasi ritual, and its law, most respondents realized if the environment must be kept, saved, and preserved. By that event, they realized the importance of keeping nature conservation and the environment. This study implies that local wisdom affects nature conservation and the environment.