Sustainable Environmental Policy: Harmonization between National Law and Local Wisdom
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.71435/639064Keywords:
Local Wisdom, National Law, Adaptive Management, Legal Pluralism, Community-Based PracticesAbstract
Purpose: This study examines the interaction between national environmental policy and local wisdom in shaping sustainable environmental governance in Makassar, Indonesia, with particular attention to the extent of harmonization between formal regulations and culturally embedded practices.
Subjects and Methods: A qualitative case study design was employed using in-depth interviews with 22 informants, participant observation, and document analysis. Data were analyzed through a thematic analysis approach involving coding, categorization, and theme development to identify recurring patterns across multiple data sources.
Results: The findings reveal that local wisdom functions as an embedded governance system that regulates environmental behavior through intergenerational knowledge, moral values, and collective norms. However, the implementation of national environmental policy is constrained by bureaucratic rigidity, limited institutional capacity, and weak coordination, resulting in a mismatch between policy frameworks and local realities. Furthermore, an epistemological divide between scientific knowledge and experiential local knowledge, combined with limited community participation, creates tensions that hinder effective policy integration. Despite these challenges, partial harmonization occurs when policy initiatives align with existing local practices.
Conclusions: The study concludes that sustainable environmental governance requires adaptive and integrative approaches that bridge formal policy systems and local wisdom, emphasizing participatory mechanisms, institutional flexibility, and the recognition of culturally grounded knowledge systems as essential components of governance.
References
Abdullahi, M., & Othman, N. (2020). Bridging the gap between policy intent and implementation. Journal of Science, Technology and Innovation Policy, 6(1), 24-33. https://doi.org/10.11113/jostip.v6n1.49
Abu, R., & Reed, M. G. (2018). Adaptation through bricolage: Indigenous responses to long‐term social‐ecological change in the Saskatchewan River Delta, Canada. The Canadian Geographer/Le Géographe Canadien, 62(4), 437-451. https://doi.org/10.1111/cag.12469
Baker, P., Friel, S., Gleeson, D., Thow, A. M., & Labonte, R. (2019). Trade and nutrition policy coherence: a framing analysis and Australian case study. Public Health Nutrition, 22(12), 2329-2337. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980019000752
Baldwin, E. (2019). Exploring how institutional arrangements shape stakeholder influence on policy decisions: A comparative analysis in the energy sector. Public Administration Review, 79(2), 246-255. https://doi.org/10.1111/puar.12953
Chapman, J. M., & Schott, S. (2020). Knowledge coevolution: Generating new understanding through bridging and strengthening distinct knowledge systems and empowering local knowledge holders. Sustainability Science, 15(3), 931-943. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-020-00781-2
Croese, S., Oloko, M., Simon, D., & Valencia, S. C. (2021). Bringing the global to the local: The challenges of multi-level governance for global policy implementation in Africa. International Journal of Urban Sustainable Development, 13(3), 435-447. https://doi.org/10.1080/19463138.2021.1958335
Danugroho, A., Rustinsyah, R., Adib, M., Ardyawin, I., Idris, U., & Habib, M. A. F. (2025). Ritual, ecology, and climate change: An ethnoecological study of agricultural communities in East Java. Social Sciences & Humanities Open, 12, 102061.
Dirawan, G. D. (2025). Perceived Environmental Knowledge and Local Traditions as Predictors of Community Environmental Care in Coastal Management among Coastal Communities in Majene, Indonesia. Pinisi Journal of Education, 5(6), 33-41.
Evans, J., & Thomas, C. (2023). Environmental governance. London: Routledge.
Fernanda, H., Afrizal, A., Arifin, Z., & Putri, I. A. (2025). Integration Of Local Wisdom And Communication Strategy In Conservation Policy For Sustainable And Inclusive Development. Jurnal Ranah Komunikasi (JRK), 9(1), 38-49.
Fernando, Z. J., Dahwal, S., Arifin, F., Maskur, M. A., & Muthia, A. A. (2025). Advancing Ecological Justice through the Integration of Eco-Religion in Criminal Law Reform. Journal of Law, Environmental and Justice, 3(2), 160-200. https://doi.org/10.62264/jlej.v3i2.133
Gani, P. J. A., Asmal, I., Amin, S., & Nadjmi, N. (2025). Transforming slums into sustainable tourism destinations on the coast of Makassar City, Indonesia. Journal of the Geographical Institute" Jovan Cvijic", SASA, (00), 14-14. https://doi.org/10.2298/IJGI250111014G
Hutahayan, B., & Fernandes, A. A. R. (2024). Enhancing Sustainable Build Environments through Ecotourism Villages in Mount Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park, Indonesia. In Rethinking Pathways to a Sustainable Built Environment (pp. 361-378). Routledge.
Ismaniar, N. I., Wahyudin, W., & Paratama, F. (2025). Organizational, environmental, and sustainability of inputs to the implementation of a smoke-free area policy: A path analysis of Makassar's health facilities. Svāsthya: Trends in General Medicine and Public Health, 2(2), e78-e78. https://doi.org/10.70347/svsthya.v2i2.78
Leardini, C., Moggi, S., & Rossi, G. (2019). The new era of stakeholder engagement: Gaining, maintaining, and repairing legitimacy in nonprofit organizations. International Journal of Public Administration, 42(6), 520-532. https://doi.org/10.1080/01900692.2018.1491593
Lubis, M., & Baiduri, B. (2025). Integrating Local Wisdom into Science Learning: A Systematic Review of Pedagogical Frameworks and Educational Practices. Asian Journal of Education and Social Studies, 51(11), 699-713.
Maskun, M., Naswar, N., Normiati, N., Mukhlis, M. M., & Wiranti, W. (2025). Harmonization between National Policy and Regional Regulations in Solid Waste Management in Indonesia: A Normative-Empirical Legal Analysis. Jambura Law Review, 7(2), 726-765. https://doi.org/10.33756/jlr.v7i2.31141
Maulida, S., & Juwono, V. (2025). Integrating Population Education within Multilevel Governance in Indonesia: A Systematic Literature Review. Administratio, 16(1), 85-100. https://doi.org/10.23960/administratio.v16i1.484
Mazzocchi, F. (2020). A deeper meaning of sustainability: Insights from indigenous knowledge. The Anthropocene Review, 7(1), 77-93.
Mohd Salim, J., Anuar, S. N., Omar, K., Tengku Mohamad, T. R., & Sanusi, N. A. (2023). The impacts of traditional ecological knowledge towards indigenous peoples: A systematic literature review. Sustainability, 15(1), 824. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15010824
Mugnai, I. (2022). The ECB and the technocratic politics of ideas: embedding a resilient EMU from the top-down? (Doctoral dissertation, University of Warwick).
Munene, M. B., Swartling, Å. G., & Thomalla, F. (2018). Adaptive governance as a catalyst for transforming the relationship between development and disaster risk through the Sendai Framework?. International journal of disaster risk reduction, 28, 653-663. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2018.01.021
Nesrallah, S., Klepp, K. I., Budin‐Ljøsne, I., Luszczynska, A., Brinsden, H., Rutter, H., ... & Katanasho, M. B. (2023). Youth engagement in research and policy: the CO‐CREATE framework to optimize power balance and mitigate risks of conflicts of interest. Obesity Reviews, 24, e13549. https://doi.org/10.1111/obr.13549
Omweri, F. S. (2024). A systematic literature review of e-government implementation in developing countries: examining urban-rural disparities, institutional capacity, and socio-cultural factors in the context of local governance and progress towards SDG 16.6. International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, 8(8), 1173-1199. https://dx.doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2024.808088
Rusnaedy, Z., Haris, A., Congge, U., & Prianto, A. L. (2021). Adaptive climate change governance in Makassar, Indonesia. Journal of Governance, 6(2), 244-258. http://dx.doi.org/10.31506/jog.v6i2.12384
Sanga, N., Gonzalez Benson, O., & Josyula, L. (2022). Top-down processes derail bottom-up objectives: a study in community engagement and ‘Slum-Free City Planning’. Community Development Journal, 57(4), 615-634. https://doi.org/10.1093/cdj/bsab037
Setiawan, I., Hendra, A., Taebenu, M. M., Johannes, A. W., & Sidiq, F. F. (2024). Integrating Local Culture in Smart City:‘Sombere’Based Governance Collaboration in Makassar City, Indonesia. Jurnal Bina Praja, 16(3), 541-556. https://doi.org/10.21787/jbp.16.2024.541-556
Sharma, S. K., & Pathak, S. L. (2024). Urbanization, Population and Environment. Springer.
Silva-Ávila, P., Rojas Hernández, J., & Barra, R. O. (2025). Knowledge Alliances for Global Change Adaptation: A Relational Approach Based on Traditional Ecological Knowledge, Territorial Management, and Community Practices in the Chilean Context. Sustainability, 17(8), 3653. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17083653
Surya, B., Hamsina, H., Ridwan, R., Baharuddin, B., Menne, F., Fitriyah, A. T., & Rasyidi, E. S. (2020). The complexity of space utilization and environmental pollution control in the main corridor of Makassar City, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Sustainability, 12(21), 9244. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12219244
Tantowi, A., & Ahmad, N. M. (2025). Nyadran Rituals and Economic Resilience in Moderate Muslim Communities of Kendal. REVITALISASI: Jurnal Ilmu Manajemen, 14(2), 562-580. https://doi.org/10.32503/revitalisasi.v14i2.8291
Tarigan, M. I., & Hafandi, R. (2024). Law diversities for climate change: legal pluralism and climate governance in Indonesia. Otoritas: Jurnal Ilmu Pemerintahan, 14(3), 589-605.
Williams, M. J. (2021). Beyond state capacity: bureaucratic performance, policy implementation and reform. Journal of Institutional Economics, 17(2), 339-357. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1744137420000478
Ziervogel, G., Enqvist, J., Metelerkamp, L., & Van Breda, J. (2022). Supporting transformative climate adaptation: community-level capacity building and knowledge co-creation in South Africa. Climate Policy, 22(5), 607-622. https://doi.org/10.1080/14693062.2020.1863180
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
