1 st Proceedings ADRI International Conference on Multidisciplinary Research eISSN: XXXX-8888 © ADRI – Perkumpulan Ahli dan Dosen Republik Indonesia | 189-195 Preservation of Iban Dayak Community Customary Forests through Cultural Mitigation: A Case Study in Utik River, Kapuas Hulu Saiful Bahri IKIP PGRI Pontianak Postgraduate Program in Social Sciences Education Pontianak, West Kalimantan, Indonesia bangipoelponty@gmail.com Emi Tipuk Lestari IKIP PGRI Pontianak Postgraduate Program in Social Sciences Education Pontianak, West Kalimantan, Indonesia Tipoeklestari@gmail.com Nawawi IKIP PGRI Pontianak Biology Education Study Program Pontianak, West Kalimantan, Indonesia nawawi@ikippgriptk.ac.id Paiman Yogyakarta PGRI University Yogyakarta, Indonesia paiman@upy.ac.id Abstract The customary forest of the Iban Sungai Utik Dayak community located in Lintang Village, Kapuas Hulu Regency, West Kalimantan Province has high ecological and cultural value. Customary forests provide natural resources and serve as dwellings for many protected species of flora and fauna. The research was carried out from January to February 2023. The research focuses on exploring the conservation efforts of the indigenous forests of the Iban Dayak community and how it is carried out through cultural mitigation. Data collection techniques used in this study are: documentation studies, interviews, direct observation in Sungai Utik Hamlet. Data processing is carried out by grouping data and information using a qualitative approach. Overall, the findings of this study show that the Iban Dayak people still highly value their local wisdom in carrying out their daily lives. This local wisdom not only contributes to the welfare of the community, but also has the potential to support sustainable development in the area. The Iban Dayak community still maintains local traditions and wisdom in the fields of cultivation, forest product management, so that natural and forest conditions are still sustainable. Keywords: Customary Forests, Iban Dayak Communities, Cultural Mitigation 1. Introduction Iban Dayak community located in Sungai Utik, Kapuas Hulu Regency, West Kalimantan Province has high ecological and cultural value. These forests provide natural resources and serve as dwellings for many protected species of flora and fauna. However, as is the case with other forests in Indonesia, the customary forests of the Iban Dayak community also experience various threats of environmental problems, such as; deforestation, forest encroachment, and other environmental damage. Social and economic changes, as well as modernization and urbanization, have aggravated this situation. According to some researchers such as (Rachmanadi et al., 2018; Wiriadinata, 2012) In reality, forests in Indonesia, especially in Kalimantan, have shrunk and been damaged. Its biological heterogeneity is also shrinking. This is due to the banning of people's movements, illegal logging/ logging, logging by illegal Forest Management Rights (FMR) holders and forest burning. Forest destruction is also caused by globalization, resulting in reduced government authority. This is evidenced by examining forest and land fires in Kalimantan that occurred in 2019. This phenomenon originated from the existence of government regulations that encourage foreign capital inflows into Indonesia with the PT PMA. This regulation guarantees private parties to obtain forest concession permits in Indonesia that were previously managed by the state. Under these conditions, the government's authority is reduced, and the impact is not only economic acceleration but widespread deforestation (Muzdalifah, 2020). A similar opinion was expressed (Masut et al., 2021) which stated that from 2019 to 2020 deforestation in West Kalimantan has reached 16.38 thousand ha, which is due to the conversion of forests into oil palm, rubber and mining plantations. This opinion is also supported by the results of research from (Arifa, 2022) large-scale forest fires that burned part of Kalimantan's forests including the province of West Kalimantan, Pontianak. The Pontianak area has a fairly high fire point and a wide distribution of fires that cause large forest fires that result in extreme smog that covers