Eight students of Master of Governmental Studies (MIP) of Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta (UMY) presented their research of Indonesian uniqueness in International Conference of Interdisciplinary Research and Development (ICIRD) 2015. The conference was conducted in Maejo University, Chiangmai, Thailand on Thursday (29/10). Those eight students examined research of ‘Jungle and the People of Jambi’.

Head of MIP of UMY Dr. Dyah Mutiarin engaging in supervising the research stated that the research revealed that jungle people of Jambi refused policy management of jungle of Jambi by local government. It displayed that ethnical approach is necessary to cope with environmental issues. “An issue of forest fires recently can be avoided if jungle people of Jambi were considered as governmental stakeholder to manage forest fires in South Sumatera,” she contended.

Local government, Dyah inserted, can maintain sustainability of jungle people’s customs through cooperation of being ‘a controller’ of forest fires. “It is hoped that local government does not support company owners to take control of the forests where jungle people live in. The research of political, social, and cultural fields is expected to be valuable for Indonesian government to handle the forest fires and smoke disaster occurring each year. It is recommended that universities could be one of the innovators to overcome national issues,” Dyan stated.

Additionally, in the occasion, MIP of UMY will begin cooperating with Graduate School of Maejo University in conducting student exchange.