The Potential Contribution
of Cultural Ecological Knowledge
to Resources Management
in a Volcanic River Basin
Vicky Ariyanti, Peter Scholten,
and Jurian Edelenbos
Abstract
This study examined the question “What are the
main elements of water-related cultural ecological knowledge (CEK) in a volcanic river
basin?” The CEK is defined as a body of
knowledge, both written and orally transmitted,
produced by many generations’ observation on
the human-nature relationship. This study
illustrates that the water-related CEK is interrelated with other resources, the volcano and
the lahar (debris flow), in the hydrological
cycle. This research applied a qualitative
methodology for the case study of the Opak
sub-basin at Mt. Merapi volcano, within the
unique setting of Yogyakarta, the only ruling
kingdom in the Republic of Indonesia. Previous
research on traditional ecological knowledge
and indigenous technical knowledge provided
the conceptual framework. The results provide
the main elements of CEK and its formulation
patterns. The main elements were historical
experiences, legitimatization process, and
mechanism of transfer. Although the formulation process stemmed from historical experiences of natural conditions and how humans
managed the environment, a legitimatization
process is necessary before it is formed as
mechanisms of transfer for the future generation. These mechanisms were divided into the
following five forms: (1) philosophy and values
as the core and more practical forms such as
(2) internalization (rituals and myth), (3) resource management practices, (4) artifacts, and
(5) five-senses wisdom.
Keywords
Water management Á Socio-ecological system
Á Integrated resources management Á
Mechanisms of transfer
1 Introduction
In previous decades, water resources were
mainly managed using engineering approaches
(Pahl-Wostl et al. 2008; Snellen and Schrevel
2004) because engineering offered the rewarding
benefit of controlling water, when and where it is
desired, and disposing of it after use. However,
after some decades or even centuries of practicing intensive engineering, ecology has been
shown to suffer substantially (Pahl-Wostl et al.
2008; Savenije and van der Zaag 2008). This
issue supported the rise of “integrated water
V. Ariyanti (&) Á P. Scholten Á J. Edelenbos
IHS, Institute for Housing and Urban Development
Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam,
The Netherlands
e-mail: ariyanti@ihs.nl
P. Scholten
e-mail: scholten@ihs.nl
J. Edelenbos
e-mail: edelenbos@essb.eur.nl
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
S. Hülsmann and M. Jampani (eds.), A Nexus Approach for Sustainable Development,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-57530-4_12
185
of Cultural Ecological Knowledge
to Resources Management
in a Volcanic River Basin
Vicky Ariyanti, Peter Scholten,
and Jurian Edelenbos
Abstract
This study examined the question “What are the
main elements of water-related cultural ecological knowledge (CEK) in a volcanic river
basin?” The CEK is defined as a body of
knowledge, both written and orally transmitted,
produced by many generations’ observation on
the human-nature relationship. This study
illustrates that the water-related CEK is interrelated with other resources, the volcano and
the lahar (debris flow), in the hydrological
cycle. This research applied a qualitative
methodology for the case study of the Opak
sub-basin at Mt. Merapi volcano, within the
unique setting of Yogyakarta, the only ruling
kingdom in the Republic of Indonesia. Previous
research on traditional ecological knowledge
and indigenous technical knowledge provided
the conceptual framework. The results provide
the main elements of CEK and its formulation
patterns. The main elements were historical
experiences, legitimatization process, and
mechanism of transfer. Although the formulation process stemmed from historical experiences of natural conditions and how humans
managed the environment, a legitimatization
process is necessary before it is formed as
mechanisms of transfer for the future generation. These mechanisms were divided into the
following five forms: (1) philosophy and values
as the core and more practical forms such as
(2) internalization (rituals and myth), (3) resource management practices, (4) artifacts, and
(5) five-senses wisdom.
Keywords
Water management Á Socio-ecological system
Á Integrated resources management Á
Mechanisms of transfer
1 Introduction
In previous decades, water resources were
mainly managed using engineering approaches
(Pahl-Wostl et al. 2008; Snellen and Schrevel
2004) because engineering offered the rewarding
benefit of controlling water, when and where it is
desired, and disposing of it after use. However,
after some decades or even centuries of practicing intensive engineering, ecology has been
shown to suffer substantially (Pahl-Wostl et al.
2008; Savenije and van der Zaag 2008). This
issue supported the rise of “integrated water
V. Ariyanti (&) Á P. Scholten Á J. Edelenbos
IHS, Institute for Housing and Urban Development
Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam,
The Netherlands
e-mail: ariyanti@ihs.nl
P. Scholten
e-mail: scholten@ihs.nl
J. Edelenbos
e-mail: edelenbos@essb.eur.nl
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
S. Hülsmann and M. Jampani (eds.), A Nexus Approach for Sustainable Development,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-57530-4_12
185