In this article, I am going to share on my own experience attending an awesome event. Maybe many of Tunza Eco-ambassadors are focusing on green action, campaign, etc. But, because I want to become future academician, I prefer to focus on research and education. So maybe what I?ve done is quite different with what other ambassadors have done. But I am happy and proud being different.

In 2013, I have been conducting community service in rural Indonesia in order to develop people on natural resources development. Based on that project, I was applying for participating in the conference. And fortunately, my proposed abstract has been accepted to be presented in the conference. So, in this month, I have participated in conference called Consortium of Southeast Asia Studies in Asia.

I was surprised because mostly participants are university lecturers, post-doc students, associate professors and even full-professors. And I also just realized that the even I participated in was one of the largest conferences on Southeast Asia Studies in the World. I met many experts and professionals who are so great on their research field. In this large event, former Prime Minister of Japan, Yasuo Fukuda, was also attending the conference as a keynote speaker.

In the conference, there were many panels, which are strongly related to the environmental problem, such as Coastal Environment and Resource Management, Expanding Environmental Consciousness Through Multi-Scalar Movements in Urban Asia, Ecological Structure of Batad Rice Terraces Community Adaptation, Literary Environmentalism in the Filipino Experiences, Innovation – Environment – City, Environment Sustainability in Southeast Asia, Urban Ecology: The state of ASEAN?s Cities, Issues, and Challenges, and many more interesting topics. Those topics are integrating social science and natural science for better environmental solution. And for myself, I was presenting research with the title "The Role of Local Customary Law in Nature Conservation in the Sirisori Islam Village, Saparua Island, Central Mollucas".

Sirisori Islam village is one of two Islamic villages located in rural area of Indonesia, in the central Mollucas. This village has local customary law that can conserve natural resources if it is applied properly, such as limiting natural resources harvesting called Sasi, protecting sacred area called Elhaw, and so on. As we know that protecting local knowledge of indigenous people is one of the points, which is resulted in the Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD). But, because of many drivers of change, this customary law is getting weak. So, as my conclusion, it is important to bring the customary law function back just like what it was in the past.

I believe that if we optimize many components and stakeholders, we will be able to protect and conserve natural resources all around the World. And for your information, if there is someone who has interest and competent on these studies, I am strongly recommend you to participate the next event, in 2017 that will be held in Bangkok, Thailand.