BKSDA: Saparan Bekakak Tradition Holds Conservation Value

The Yogyakarta Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) has stated that the Saparan Bekakak tradition at Gunung Gamping, Ambarketawang, Gamping, Sleman, holds conservation value. According to the BKSDA, this cultural tradition is in line with efforts to preserve the area and its biodiversity.

Wahyu Tri Kuncara, Head of the Yogyakarta BKSDA Region I Conservation Section, said the theme of this year’s Batu Gamping Festival II is ‘Caring for Tradition, Caring for Conservation’. The theme was chosen to integrate cultural preservation with natural resource conservation.

‘Conservation, particularly natural resource conservation, must continue for the sake of human life. We are integrating the nobility of existing culture with the need for conservation for the entire universe,’ Wahyu said during the Batu Gamping Festival II at the Gunung Gamping Nature Reserve, Sleman, on Thursday.

He explained that BKSDA wants to change the public’s view that conservation is not always synonymous with prohibitions. Instead, conservation can coexist with community life and traditions passed down through generations.

‘We want to introduce that conservation is not just about restrictions, but can run in accordance with our lives and provide sustainable benefits to the community,’ he said.

Wahyu cited the jemparingan tradition featured at the festival as an example. He noted that this traditional sport, a legacy of Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono I, has long applied conservation principles.

‘In ancient times, even hunting used conservation rules. It wasn’t simply a matter of holding a bow and hunting wild animals; there were rules that became part of the culture and still adhere to conservation principles today,’ he explained.

He added that conservation values are also reflected in the Saparan Bekakak ritual. The procession of slaughtering the bekakak effigies is held within the Batu Gamping Nature Reserve, which is managed by BKSDA.

‘This nature reserve is a very exclusive area. We call it the last bastion of conservation areas,’ he said.

Nevertheless, BKSDA fully supports the tradition due to its noble cultural value and long-standing heritage.

‘Because this is a hereditary cultural event containing noble values, we as managers of the nature reserve fully support it by providing facilities so it can continue to be held properly,’ he stated.

Wahyu expressed hope that the public will increasingly understand that cultural preservation and nature conservation do not conflict.

‘Conservation does not contradict culture, nor does it contradict the values of our daily lives. On the contrary, conservation supports preservation for a better life,’ he concluded.