Oekan S. Abdoellah^1*,   Parikesit², Satoru Okubo³, Susanti Withaningsih⁴, Kazuhiko Takeuchi⁵, Kosuke Mizuno⁶

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¹ Institute of Ecology and Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Padjadjaran University, Bandung, Indonesia.
² Institute of Ecology and Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Padjadjaran University, Bandung, Indonesia.
³ National Institute for Agro-Environmental Sciences, Tsukuba, Japan.
⁴ Graduate Program on Environmental Studies and Institute of Ecology, Padjadjaran University, Bandung, Indonesia.
⁵ UNU Center, United Nations University, Tokyo, Japan.
⁶ Center for Southeast Asian Studies, The University of Kyoto, Sakyo, Japan.
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Abstract: We studied human perceptions on the management of bamboo-tree gardens in two villages with contrasting agroecological conditions in the upper Citarum basin. We undertook interviews to reveal perceptions on the tenure, function, and management strategies of multi-layered agroforest. Owners in a village located lower in the basin perceived the gardens more positively than those in an upland village, where market pressures were felt more keenly and for a longer period. There was not always a direct correlation between perceptions and behavior with respect to bamboo-tree garden management. However, we concluded that an understanding of human perceptions could provide valuable insight to the process of formulating strategies that might be effective in minimizing the conversion of bamboo-tree gardens to more intensive and less ecologically diverse agricultural systems. Specifically, since the villagers retained a strong cultural perception of the heritage value of the bamboo-tree gardens, they would likely be responsive to conservation efforts that increased the economic value of the gardens and reduced the opportunity cost of not converting them to production that is more intensive or other land uses.

Keywords: Agroecosystem, Management Strategy, Cultural Values, Social Behavior, Traditional Practice

Cite this paper: Abdoellah, O. , Parikesit, &. , Okubo, S. , Withaningsih, S. , Takeuchi, K. and Mizuno, K. (2015) Perceptions of Owners on the Roles and Future of Bamboo-Tree Gardens in the Agricultural Landscape of the Upper Citarum Basin, West Java-Indonesia. Agricultural Sciences, 6, 1333-1351. doi: 10.4236/as.2015.611128.

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