ABSTRACT
The understanding and participation of society in maintaining the good condition of natural resources are needed to preserve the environment. Many instances demonstrate that individual societies have unique and different perspectives when it comes to preserving their natural resources. One example of such a society is the community within the Citanduy upstream watershed area that keeps the water supply and river ecosystem clean. So far, the government has made various attempts to overcome problems in the watershed. These have ranged from reforestation to criminal proceedings against those destroying nature. However, these actions are not yet optimal, because there is insufficient involvement of society as the main actor. This study describes the management of the Citanduy upstream watershed on the basis of local society empowerment. The study method used was a yearlong participatory observation. The result shows the need for more social intervention, in the form of a culture of environmental law enforcement and a basis of local wisdom, to handle various problems that threaten watershed sustainability. It also reveals the use of environmental law enforcement in the form of social punishment for the person who breaks the law and declines to participate in watershed conservation.
