Political Ecology of the Gold Mining Conflict in the Kasepuhan Cisitu Customary Territory, Lebak Regency

• Ahmad Tazzul Aripin

  Universitas Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa

  Author

• Mahpudin Mahpudin

  Universitas Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa

  Author

This study aims to analyze the political-ecological dynamics of artisanal gold mining in the Kasepuhan Cisitu Indigenous Territory, Lebak Regency, Banten Province. The study focuses on environmental degradation, territorial claim conflicts, conflicts over artisanal mining permits, the involvement of state actors, and sociocultural changes among indigenous communities. The study employs a qualitative method using a case study approach through interviews, observation, and documentation. Data analysis was conducted using Paul Robbins’s Political Ecology framework, specifically the concepts of Degradation and Marginalization, Conservation and Control, and Environmental Conflict. The results indicate that artisanal gold mining serves as a vital livelihood for indigenous communities but also causes land degradation and pollution of the Cikidang River due to the use of mercury and cyanide. Mining conflicts are influenced by territorial disputes and policy overlaps between the recognition of customary forests and the status of the Gunung Halimun Salak National Park, which hinder the legalization process for artisanal mining. Additionally, the study found the involvement of state actors in the management of mining resources, as well as a shift in the community’s socio-cultural orientation from the agricultural sector toward mining. These findings indicate that artisanal gold mining in Cisitu is an arena of contestation over access to, control of, and ownership of resources

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