Reviving Local Wisdom in Environmental Education: A Case Study of the Dayak Deah Community

This study investigates the local wisdom of the Dayak Deah community in environmental management as a strategy for sustainability in the context of modernization. It examines how Indigenous knowledge, local resources, skills, values, solidarity, and decision-making mechanisms influence environmental education and sustainable practices. Data were collected from 346 community members across three villages in South Kalimantan, Indonesia, through surveys and interviews, and analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with triangulation for validation. The results show that local knowledge (β = 0.251, p < 0.001), local resources (β = 0.246, p < 0.001), skills (β = 0.116, p = 0.019), and values (β = 0.157, p = 0.002) significantly contribute to environmental education, whereas solidarity (β = 0.084, p = 0.093) and decision-making mechanisms (β = 0.068, p = 0.153) have positive but non-significant effects. The model explains R² = 0.377, indicating that 37.7% of the variation in environmental education is accounted for by these dimensions of local wisdom. Traditional practices such as shifting cultivation, sustainable harvesting of forest products, herbal medicine, weather forecasting, water management, hunting, and forest conservation are deeply embedded in local knowledge and customary law. Social cohesion through collective work and rituals further supports these practices. In conclusion, Dayak Deah’s local wisdom provides a valuable model for sustainable ecology. Incorporating these practices into environmental education and policy can enhance ecological awareness, promote sustainable livelihoods, and preserve Indigenous knowledge for future generations.