Rich Forests, Poor People: Resource Control and Resistance in Java

by Nancy Lee Peluso

Millions of Javanese peasants live alongside state-controlled forest lands in one of the world's most densely populated agricultural regions. Because their legal access and customary rights to the forest have been severely limited, these peasants have been pushed toward illegal use of forest resources. Rich Forests, Poor People untangles the complex of peasant and state politics that has developed in Java over three centuries.

Drawing on historical materials and intensive field research, including two contemporary case studies, Peluso presents the story of the forest and its people. Without major changes in forest policy, Peluso contends, the situation is portentous. Economic, social, and political costs to the government will increase. Development efforts will by stymied and forest destruction will continue. Mindful that a dramatic shift is unlikely, Peluso suggests how tension between foresters and villagers can be alleviated while giving peasants a greater stake in local forest management.

Genres: Economics, Environment

340 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

Nancy Lee Peluso is an American rural sociologist. She is the Henry J. Vaux Distinguished Professor of Forest Policy at the University of California, Berkeley. In 2006, she was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship.

Reviews

[Widhyanto Muttaqien · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nancy L. Peluso memperlihatkn bagaimana perubahan dalam pencapaian kemakmuran desa di Jawa, terkait dengan kawasan hutan industri, terutama Jati. Yang menarik disisi lain kolonialime belum berakhir setelah Indonesia merdeka, nasib para pemukim sekitar hutan semakin 'papa' bukan hanya tidak bisa mengakses hutan, tapi juga dikriminalisasi oleh penguasa.

[R. Sanyoto · Rating 5 out of 5]

i give 5 stars.. no other reference can tell about java's forest nicely..

[Karlina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ditulis lebih dari 2 dekade lalu, tapi isunya masih sangat sangat relevan hingga saat ini sehingga. Merupakan referensi yang sangat komprehensif untuk memahami isu konservasi dan masyarakat.

[CL Chu · Rating 3 out of 5]

A classics on New Order forestry with robust historical and anthropological analysis. Wonder what happened to social forestry in the past three decades?