Environmental management continues to be shaped by a longstanding epistemological divide between anthropocentric and ecocentric worldviews, a divide that manifests not only in human–nature relations but, more critically, in human–human ideological conflict. While existing theories in environmental ethics, political ecology, and social–ecological systems attempt to reconcile these perspectives, they largely foreground the human–environment binary and pay insufficient attention to conflicts arising from competing value systems among stakeholders themselves. This article introduces the Dialogical Environmental Worldview Integration Model (DEWIM), a conceptual framework designed to bridge these divergent logics by emphasising dialogical, relational, and ethical mediation between worldviews. DEWIM argues that sustainability challenges particularly in contexts involving Indigenous custodians and state or industry actors emerge not simply from differing ontological orientations toward nature but from unresolved ideological negotiations between groups who prioritise different moral, cultural, and utilitarian claims. Through its emphasis on dialogical ethics, epistemic reflexivity, and relational accountability, DEWIM offers a novel lens for rethinking governance, environmental education, and conservation practice. The framework is especially relevant for contexts such as peatland management in Pahang and community-based forest governance in Southeast Asia, where human–human ideological tensions shape ecological outcomes as significantly as biophysical factors. By repositioning ethical negotiation at the centre of environmental decision-making, DEWIM provides a transformative pathway for more just, inclusive, and culturally attuned sustainability practice.
A H Ahmad Abas (Sun,) studied this question.