Customary Leadership in the Management of Mangrove Forests in Langsa City

DOI

10.2991/978-2-38476-581-2_22How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Leadership; Custom; Mangrove Forest; Langsa City

Abstract

This research examines the role of traditional leadership in the sustainable conservation and management of mangrove forests in Langsa City. The city of Langsa has an extensive and rich mangrove ecosystem that supports the ecological and economic well-being of the coastal community. However, unsustainable development and use pressures can threaten the sustainability of mangroves. This research uses a qualitative method with a case study approach to understand how customary leadership and customary mechanisms and values, represented by traditional customary institutions such as Panglima Laot or customary institutions that have contributed to mangrove forest protection, function. The research findings aim to show that indigenous leadership serves as a link between formal government policies and community practices. They have a strong moral and social foundation to enforce local rules, such as restrictions on logging, zoning of conservation areas, and sanctions for violations. The management model implemented is collective and participatory, incorporating local wisdom in the wise use of natural resources. The contributions of traditional leadership are: 1) community organization for conservation and monitoring; 2) resolving social conflicts related to resource use; 3) passing down traditional knowledge about mangrove ecology. Traditional leadership in Langsa City is an important pillar in ensuring the sustainability of mangrove forests. Integrating traditional leadership and customary law into the local government’s forest and coastal management policy framework is highly recommended to achieve long-term conservation effectiveness. This research recommends formal recognition and capacity building for indigenous institutions as partners in natural resource management.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Mifta Hulzanah
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/05/30
TI  - Customary Leadership in the Management of Mangrove Forests in Langsa City
BT  - Proceedings of the International Conference on Challenges and Trends in Arts and Social Sciences (ICCTASS 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 283
EP  - 292
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-581-2_22
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-581-2_22
ID  - Hulzanah2026
ER  -