Batak Local Wisdom: Foundation for Disaster Mitigation and Human-Nature Harmony in North Sumatra

Defrida Suzana Lukuaka

Authors

Defrida Suzana Lukuaka Indonesia Defense University, Kawasan IPSC Sentul, Jl. Anyar, Sukahati, Kec. Citeureup, Kabupaten Bogor, Jawa Barat 16810, Indonesia

Keywords:

Batak Local Wisdom, Customary Law, Disaster Mitigation, Environmental Ecology, Traditional Knowledge

Abstract

The November 2025 floods and landslides in North Sumatra, claiming over 375 lives, reveal the catastrophic consequences of systematically ignoring Batak indigenous ecological knowledge amid massive deforestation of 1.6 million hectares (1990-2015) driven by palm oil expansion and tourism infrastructure development.This qualitative study employs interdisciplinary literature review and content analysis, synthesizing socio-cultural, ecological, and political dimensions from peer-reviewed journals and government reports. Batak cosmological concepts (Boru Deak Parujar, Hariara Sundung di Langit) embody empirically validated ecological principles governing forest zonation, watershed management, and disaster-prone area identification. Political ecology analysis exposes structural inequalities in forest governance (Law No. 41/1999) that systematically marginalized community-based management, enabling extractive industries to operate with impunity. Integration of indigenous knowledge with modern science requires paradigmatic transformation from anthropocentrism to ecocentrism, operationalized through formal recognition of customary law, establishment of multi-stakeholder Watershed Councils with veto authority, Ecological Fiscal Transfer mechanisms, and mainstreaming ecological performance indicators in government accountability systems. This study provides the first comprehensive political ecology framework linking Batak indigenous knowledge erosion with disaster vulnerability, offering concrete institutional mechanisms for knowledge integration beyond normative advocacy.

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