Sasak Local Wisdom and Medicinal Plant Conservation in Mount Rinjani National Park
Published:
2026-05-20Downloads
Abstract
The conservation forest area in Tetebatu Resort, Mount Rinjani National Park, possesses diverse medicinal plants with ecological and cultural value for the Sasak community. This study aimed to analyze the forms of Sasak local wisdom in utilizing medicinal plants and their integration with forest conservation practices. The research employed a descriptive qualitative approach supported by simple quantitative data. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, participatory observation, documentation, and literature study, while informants were selected purposively and expanded using snowball sampling. The findings revealed that medicinal plant utilization is still practiced traditionally through oral transmission and direct practice. The community applies customary rules that support sustainable harvesting, such as prohibiting the cutting of parent trees, collecting plants only as needed, avoiding overharvesting in one area, and restoring soil after rhizome extraction. These practices align with conservation principles by maintaining natural regeneration and forest vegetation structure. The study concludes that Sasak local wisdom functions as a community-based conservation mechanism integrated with formal conservation policies. Therefore, documentation of ethnobotanical knowledge and stronger collaboration between local communities and conservation managers are essential to ensure the sustainability of medicinal plant conservation.
Keywords:
conservation ethnobotany local wisdom medicinal plants Sasak communityReferences
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