The Involvement of Local Community in Mangrove Forest Conservation in West Kalimantan

Mangrove forest conservation on the coast of West Kalimantan has been successfully carried out and saved the environment from coastal abrasion (ecological benefit) and provided economic benefits for the community. This study aims to describe the role of the community in mangrove conservation activities in the coastal areas of West Kalimantan. S urvey methods were used in this research. The data was collected through interviews based on questionnaires and in-depth interviews. Data processing was conducted by calculating the percentage and then analyzed by tabulation. Mangrove conservation activities are based on community experiences in saving the environment, boosting economic activities, and obtaining benefits from conservation results. The involvement of the local community uses the bottom-up approach, starting from planning activities, implementation, utilization, and evaluation. In general, the local community ’ s level of involvement is still at the information and consultation stage. The involvement of the local community as an individual varies greatly, from those who are only involved as part of formality to the level of being actively involved, having decision-making authority, and being able to negotiate and deal directly with capital sources. It occurs due to the varying capacity of each individual. Keywords:  forest conservation, local community, mangrove