The role of the To Cerekang customary law in preserving natural resources

As a community that is close to its natural environment, the availability, sustainability and sustainability of natural resources is determined by the role of customary law communities in preserving natural resources in their ulayat areas. The purpose of this study is to analyze the role of the To Cerekang customary law community in preserving natural resources. This study uses a qualitative method with a phenomenological approach. The results of this study indicate that the To Cerekang customary law community has made several efforts in carrying out its role to preserve natural resources, namely establishing information boards and barrier signs around the Cerekang Indigenous Forest, conducting routine monitoring activities around the Cerekang customary forest, cleaning up trash on the edge of the forest. the Palopo-Malili axis road which is directly adjacent to the customary forest, and preserves the Cerekang River by cleaning up trash or tree branches in the Cerekang River.


Introduction
Environmental conditions are deteriorating as a result of overexploitation of natural resources, and the impact of global warming, which has caused climate change, is becoming more apparent.Natural calamities, as a result, have become seasonal routines that continue to haunt the lives of living creatures.According to the Forum for the Environment (2019), disasters struck Indonesia 3,768 times in 2019.This indicates that disasters in Indonesia have nearly doubled since 2018, a total of 1,999 times.This therefore compels us to seek solutions to the difficulties at hand.[1].
In light of the increasingly vulnerable environmental conditions, the presence of indigenous peoples in Indonesia plays a significant role since local wisdom is included in the protection of the natural environment [2].The wisdom factor determines the availability, sustainability, and sustainability of natural resources as a manifestation of the hidden indigenous people's thinking and is thought to be true, shared, and something good and valuable for their lives.
Indigenous peoples' customs and traditions are important to their life.Furthermore, there must be a sense among the members that they need each other and that the land on which they live provides life for all.Community sentiments are feelings that are fundamentally equivalent to the location of residence [3].Local wisdom should be considered an alternative to local technology capable of protecting the environment or natural resources from harm [4].
Such as the Kajang indigenous people's Pasang ri Kajang-based environmental preservation strategy.Pasang, according to the Ammatoa community, must be obeyed and implemented if it is not to result in the emergence of undesired things, such as disruption to the balance of social and natural systems [5].The Karampuang indigenous people are also involved in forest conservation initiatives, employing the local wisdom of Paseng ri ade'.Paseng ri ade' is a source of informal laws for the Karampuang indigenous people in managing and utilizing forests based on their traditional knowledge, such as rights restrictions, methods of taking forest products, and maintaining norm-compliant attitudes [6].
Natural resources play a vital part in human life.Natural resources in Indonesia have not only economic worth but also social, cultural, and political significance for distinct people.Natural resources are so crucial in the building of civilization in human life that each culture and ethnicity has its own perspective and worldview towards natural resource governance and management.Several ethnic groups in Indonesia share cosmological conceptions and world views of natural resources, particularly land, namely land as an integral entity or as an ecosystem.Natural resources play an important role in meeting human needs.The use of natural resources is classified according to their origin, notably living and non-biological natural resources [7].In general, indigenous community-led natural resource management recognizes several levels of control and exploitation.Natural resource control can be classified into four types based on its form and status: (1) public property (open access), (2) state property, (3) private or individual property, and (4) communal property [8].
Indigenous peoples have an essential role as environmental stewards.In many locations, the 500 million indigenous people who still live in their ancestral homelands have tremendous ecological wisdom and are the guardians of little disturbed landscapes that provide a safe haven for rare and endangered species and generally undamaged ecosystems.According to author Alan Durning, the native homeland possesses more biodiversity than all of the world's nature reserves combined, and indigenous peoples' languages, rituals, and practices encode a larger understanding of nature than all modern science libraries combined.Recognizing indigenous land rights and encouraging political pluralism are frequently the most effective approaches to safeguard ecological processes and endangered species.According to the Ancient Indians of Panama, "where there are forests, there are natives, and where there are natives, there are forests."Several countries, including Papua New Guinea, Fuji, Ecuador, Canada, and Australia, recognize customary land rights [9].
Several communities in Indonesia also serve as good nature guards.The To Cerekang customary law community in East Luwu Regency, South Sulawesi, is one of them.The presence of a deep inner tie with the origin of ancestors in a certain customary region has become a long history of a group of indigenous peoples' journey.Cerekang is a hamlet in East Luwu Regency's Manurung Village, Malili District.Cerekang has various cultural stories dating back before the formation of East Luwu Regency, particularly those concerning the origins of the Luwu Kingdom.Bulu Pensimoni in Cerekang is thought to be the first location from whence Batara Guru descended, and it later became the first administrative capital of the Luwu dynasty [10].The To Cerekang customary law community's way of existence is based on a value system that has been passed down from generation to generation.Belief in the noble qualities of the To Cerekang indigenous peoples animates and colors the image of the environment in the shape of roles that lead to activities for natural resource preservation.Based on this argument, the purpose of this research is to examine the function of the To Cerekang customary law community in the preservation of natural resources.

Research methods
This study uses a qualitative method with a phenomenological approach.Qualitativemethod is an approach that aims to exploreand understand the meaning of a certain number of individuals or groups of people originating from social or humanitarian problems [11].Phenomenology makes life experience as the basic data of reality [12].This method views the object of study as something intact and not separate from other objects.That is, this approach is a holistic approach and not partial so that a complete understanding of an object is obtained [13].So, phenomenology is the science of appearances, namely appearances of what appears to the subject'sexperience [14].
An important concept of phenomenology isthe meaning that comes from the experience of human consciousness.To identify the essential qualities of the experience of consciousness is carried out in depth and thoroughness [15].Researchers try to enter into the conceptualworld of research subjects in such a way that they understand what and how an understanding is found by them [16].Phenomenological researchers appreciate that experiences are varied and complex, they usually collect large amounts of data over time from their participants [17].

The history of the territory and the origin of the To Cerekang indigenous law community
Indigenous people, the term is well known and has been mentioned in a number of international agreements [18].Meanwhile, customary law community is a technical juridical definition that designates a group of people who live in a certain area (ulayat)where they live and live in a certain environment, have wealth and a leader whois in charge of protecting the interests of thegroup (outward and inward), and has a legalsystem.and governance [19].
The To Cerekang customary law community is a Bugis Luwu tribe, in everyday life the language used is Bugis.Cerekang comes from the word cerre whichmeans poured [20].The story of the To Cerekang customary law community comesfrom the To Manurung story, namely Batara Guru and Sawerigading who becameleaders on earth [21].Batara Guru is aleader who maintains the balance of nature and the world.The principles of peaceful life between fellow humans and nature are firmly held by the To Cerekang customary law community until now as a guide inliving life and managing natural resources [22].Cerekang is an old village that has existed for a long time, long before East Luwu Regency was formed even beforeIndonesia's independence [23].
The To Cerekang customary law community is Muslim.Although at first, theprocess of Islamization of the To Cerekang customary law community took a relatively long time because it was far from the centerof the kingdom.At that time, the people of To Cerekang still lived in the interior ofUssu and still adhered to the old beliefs.Worship of objects as symbols of "seuwwaegods" is still carried out.They think that Sawerigading's old belief is superior [24].The development of Islam in the land of Luwu is growing quite quickly and there arealmost no obstacles, because the Islamic system puts the King first so that the peoplealso embrace Islam.In addition, after the King embraced Islam, Islam became the official religion of the Luwu kingdom, untilfinally the area around the Luwu kingdom became a Muslim population.Until [25].

The Role of the To Cerekang IndigenousPeoples in Preserving Natural Resources
Indigenous peoples are a group of people who live from generation to generation based on ancestral origins in customary areas, have rights to land and natural resources, socio-cultural life, which is regulated by customary law and customaryinstitutions that manage the sustainability of their community life.The role of theTo Cerekang customary law community in the Preservation of Natural Resources can be seen from several efforts that have beenmade by the To Cerekang Indigenous Law Community to preserve natural resources, these efforts are as follows:

Establish information boards and barriersigns around the Cerekang Indigenous
Forest.The activities of erecting informationboards and boundary signs around the Cerekang Indigenous Forest have been carried out by the ancestors of the To Cerekang indigenous peoples since they inhabited the Cerekang area as a marker oftheir territory.The difference with now, if in the past the guardrail used wood or rattan.At this time, starting in 2015, the barrier installed by the To Cerekangcustomary law community is in the form ofinformation boards and barrier placards (signs) made of iron with poles firmly stuck into the ground.Information boards and signposts are painted with red as the base color.Then, the board is written in white paint with information on forest boundaries, a warning in the form of aprohibition on entering the forest and carrying out activities in the customaryforest area without the permission of the Cerekang customary authorities, a map of the Cerekang customary area showing ten points of the forest area that are sacred.The installation of information boards andbarrier signs around the Cerekang Customary Forest aims to protect andprevent the destruction, felling of trees orillegal logging by people who do not knowabout the Cerekang Customary Forest.Forsome points the forest area that looks likePensimoni which is right to the left of thePalopo-Malili axis road, either the information board or the barrier sign is stillstanding firmly and clearly visible from theroad.

Carry out routine monitoring activities around the Cerekang customary forest.
Routine patrol activities in the Cerekang Indigenous Forest are a form of effort carried out by the To Cerekang customary law community in maintaining and protecting the Cerekang customary forest.The Cerekang indigenous youth or called the Wija To Cerekang Young Fighters (WTC) were formed on the awareness of young people who have strong intentions, enthusiasm and sincerity in themselves to maintain and preserve the ancestral heritage, namely the To Cerekang Indigenous Forest which is still preserved until now.
Starting from the WTC as a forum for the youth group "Young Fighters Wija To Cerekang" to close ranks as the front guard and spearhead to protect their ancestral heritage which is entrusted to them.The routine patrols they have carried out until now can be an example of how they truly love their ancestral land.Everyone has the culture and customs of the ancestral landbut some of us do not realize it and even forget our ancestral heritage.In accordance with the hereditary tradition taught by their parents, that the Cerekang Customary Forest cannot be entered without special rituals and with the permission of the Pua (customary leaders).Therefore, even inpatrolling customary forests, they do not even enter the forest, unless there are signs or cases, for example, tree felling or timber theft in customary forest areas.Routine patrol activities are also intended to check the condition of information boards or barrier signs that have been previously installed, if any are damaged or fall to the ground, repairs are carried out by reinstalling or replacing with new ones.This preparation is done before departure, they have prepared materials to repair or replace if any information boards or barriersigns are damaged.
The To Cerekang customary law community believes that preserving the forest from generation to generation canmaintain the balance of nature and preservehistorical sites and natural resources in the Cerekang Customary Forest.Therefore, theCerekang Indigenous Forest cannot be managed to maintain sustainable livelihoods, including water sources and thebiodiversity in it.
Cleaning up trash on the side of thePalopo-Malili axis road which is directly adjacent to the customary forestThis garbage cleaning activity is carriedout by the To Cerekang customary law community if they see garbagescattered about because of the location ofPensimoniwhich is directly adjacent to theside of the Palopo-Malili axis road.Pensimoni is very close to the settlementof the To Cerekang customary lawcommunity.The Pensimoni area is thewidest point of customary forest areaamong the eleven points of the existingarea.Part of the area is directly adjacentto the edge of the road and settlements.This part of the region is the mostvulnerable toplastic waste, usually snack wrappers and drinking water bottles.Therefore, the ToCerekang customary law community continues to maintain thecleanliness of the area by cleaning upexisting garbage when they see it.Thisactivity aims to maintain the cleanlinessof places that are considered sacred and isrecognized as an act of maintaining thecleanliness of the surrounding environment and nature.

Preserving the Cerekang River by cleaning up trash or tree branches in the Cerekang River.
Keeping the Cerekang River clean has beendone long ago by the ancestors of the To Cerekang customary law community.Water is the source of life.Realizing the importance of the existence of the Cerekang River, they continue to maintain the cleanliness of the Cerekang River so that its use is sustainable.Based on theapplicable customary rules, the To Cerekang customary law community is given the freedom to use the river for their lives, such as using the river as a water source, bathing and washing place, for irrigation purposes, or catching fish and or other river animals for consumption needs.However, despite being given the freedom to use the river for their own purposes,customary regulations also limit this freedom.When using the river, the cleanliness of the river must be maintained.They are prohibited from throwing garbageinto the river or doing other actions that canmake the river cloudy or pollute the river and disturb the lives of river creatures, including nene' (crocodiles) in the river.
Until the time the research was carried out, researchers witnessed firsthand the real action of the To Cerekang customary law community in cleaning tree branches that were stuck on the old bridge poles on the Cerekang River.This activity is even carried out by small children when they take a bath, seeing the garbage that is stuck without being told by their parents, they areaware to clean it up.This action is an act of preserving river resources while maintaining and maintaining the cleanliness of river water.

Conclusion
The To Cerekang customary law community has made several efforts in carrying out its role to preserve natural resources, namely setting up information boards and barrier signs around the Cerekang Indigenous Forest, conducting routine monitoring activities around the Cerekang customary forest, cleaning up trash on the side of the Palopo-Malili axis road.which is directly adjacent to the customary forest, and preserves the Cerekang River by cleaning up trash or tree branches in the Cerekang River.