Ekoteologi Fungsi Hutan Oenaek: Penyimpangan Paradigma Ekologis Menuju Perilaku Eksploitatif

Abstract

This study aims at describing and analyzing the change of Camplong residents’ perspective towards the function of forest which brings an impact on the damage of Oenaek Forest. In addition, the purpose of this study is also to conduct an ecotheological observation about this viewpoint shift. There is a Natural Tourism Park in Camplong with various kinds of flora and fauna. In Timorese belief, this forest functions as a palace for Usi (the highest god) and a shelter for the spirits of passed away ancestors. The shift of the forest status fromnatural forest (restricted forest) to productive forest has caused the change of residents’ perspective towards the function of the forest. In the past they used to perceive the forest as a subject, but now it has been seen as an object of economic enterprise. The change of this standpoint has influenced the behavior of Camplong  people who live around the forest area: the forest is no longer served as a place for celebrating traditional rituals, but merely as a tourist destination. The method applied in this research is qualitative descriptive whichis carried out through observation and in-depth interview.