Dualism and Duality in Conservation, Spirituality, and Cultural Narratives

 

By Elder Wewo Kotkay, Founder and Director of Melanesian Conservation Elders Inc.

Introduction

Human thought has long grappled with the tension between dualism—the strict separation of two realms—and duality—the coexistence of opposites within a unified whole. These frameworks shape how societies understand nature, spirit, and culture. In conservation, spirituality, and storytelling, the interplay between dualism and duality offers both challenges and opportunities for sustainable futures. Spirit-Led Conservation, particularly in Melanesia, exemplifies how cultural narratives can transform these philosophical concepts into living practices.

🌍 Conservation: Division vs. Integration

• Dualism in Conservation Western traditions often frame humans and nature as separate. This dualist lens sees ecosystems as resources to be managed, controlled, or exploited. Conservation becomes a technical exercise, emphasizing boundaries—protected areas vs. human settlements, wilderness vs. civilization. While effective in some contexts, this separation risks alienating communities from the environments they inhabit.
• Duality in Conservation Indigenous traditions often embrace duality, recognizing humans as part of nature’s web. In Melanesia, cultural narratives portray forests, rivers, and reefs as kin—living entities with both spiritual and material dimensions. Conservation here is not about exclusion but about balance: harvesting and protecting, revering and utilizing. Spirit-Led Conservation embodies this duality, integrating spiritual respect with ecological stewardship.

✨ Spirituality: Transcendence vs. Immanence

• Dualism in Spirituality Many religious traditions emphasize a divide between the sacred and the profane, heaven and earth, spirit and matter. This dualism can inspire reverence for the transcendent but may also detach spirituality from daily ecological realities.
• Duality in Spirituality in Melanesian cosmologies, the divine is both transcendent and immanent. Spirits dwell in rivers, ancestors inhabit landscapes, and rituals affirm the inseparability of the sacred and the material. This duality fosters a spirituality that is ecological at its core—where caring for the land is simultaneously caring for the spirit world.

📖 Cultural Narratives: Conflict vs. Harmony

• Dualism in Narratives Many myths and stories dramatize oppositions: good vs. evil, life vs. death, chaos vs. order. These dualist frames sharpen moral clarity but can oversimplify the complexity of human–nature relationships.
• Duality in Narratives Melanesian storytelling often highlights the coexistence of opposites. A hero may embody both strength and vulnerability; a spirit may bless and curse. These dualities teach resilience, humility, and reciprocity. Storytelling becomes a tool for conservation, embedding ecological wisdom in cultural memory.

🌏 Spirit-Led Conservation as a Bridge

Spirit-Led Conservation thrives by moving beyond dualism into duality:

• It rejects the rigid separation of humans and nature, instead affirming their interdependence.
• It reframes spirituality as both transcendent and immanent, rooting sacredness in ecological practice.
• It uses cultural narratives not to divide but to harmonize, teaching that opposites coexist and balance is essential.

This approach offers a model for global conservation: one that integrates indigenous wisdom with modern science, and cultural heritage with ecological sustainability.

Conclusion

Dualism and duality are not merely abstract concepts—they shape how societies act toward nature, spirit, and culture. Dualism warns us of boundaries and distinctions, while duality invites us into balance and integration. Spirit-Led Conservation demonstrates how embracing duality can transform conservation into a holistic practice, where ecological sustainability is inseparable from cultural and spiritual vitality. In a world facing ecological crises, this synthesis may be one of the most powerful narratives we can carry forward.

 

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Papua New Guinea Signs Major Ocean Treaty at UN Oceans Conference

Nice, France | Monday, 9 June 2025: Papua New Guinea has signed a landmark treaty for the governance of the high seas at the 3rd United Nations Oceans Conference in Nice, France.

Prime Minister Hon. James Marape signed the Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement) on Monday (09.06.25) at around 7pm (Local

Time).

The signing of this important treaty followed soon after Prime Minister Marape addressed the conference with Papua New Guinea’s Country Statement, highlighting the importance in the role the ocean plays in the livelihood of the people of Papua New Guinea and the Pacific.

“Papua New Guinea is proud to stand together with the international community in signing the BBNJ Agreement. It reflects our unwavering support for multilateral action and responsible stewardship of our global commons,” said PM Marape as he arrived on Sunday in France to join 148 leaders from across the world in the UN conference on ocean governance and management.

The signing of the BBNJ Agreement continues PNG’s efforts in protecting its ma-

rine resources beyond its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

As an existing member to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, the signing reaffirms PNG’s strong commitment to upholding the Convention and protecting the Pacific Ocean.

PM Marape said, “We are committed to ensuring the relevant international laws governing the sustainable use and management of our country’s oceans and maritime resources are upheld and carefully articulated in our national policies, strategies, and plans.

“In this spirit, I have the distinct pleasure and honour to announce that today, Papua New Guinea signed up to the Special Treaty Event, the BBNJ Agreement (High Seas Treaty, adopted by the UN General Assembly on 19 June 2023.

We will work toward its ratification.”

He also reaffirmed PNG’s continued support toward the treaty on plastics

which is being currently negotiated and urged that this be concluded success-

fully soon.

The BBNJ Agreement, under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the

Sea on Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction, was adopted on 19 June 2023 by the Intergovernmental Conference on Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction convened under the auspices of the UN.

It has become the third implementing agreement to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Under the overall objective of the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction, for the present and in the long-term, through effective implementation of the relevant provisions of the Convention and further international cooperation and coordination, the Agreement addresses four main issues:

• Marine genetic resources, including the fair and equitable sharing of

benefits;

• Measures such as area-based management tools, including marine pro-

tected areas;

• Environmental impact assessments; and

• Capacity-building and the transfer of marine technology.

The Agreement also addresses a number of “cross-cutting issues”, establishes

a funding mechanism and sets up institutional arrangements, including a Conference of the Parties and various subsidiary bodies, a Clearing-House Mechanism and a secretariat.

The Agreement is open for signature by all States and regional economic inte-

gration organizations from 20 September 2023 to 20 September 2025, and will

enter into force 120 days after the date of deposit of the sixtieth instrument of

ratification, approval, acceptance or accession.

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11 Warga ditangkap, Masyarakat Adat Malamoi palang PT IKSJ Sorong

Sorong, Jubi-Masyarakat adat Malamoi dari marga Masinau, Motowol, Sawat, Klafiyu, Klawen serta warga Kampung Ninjomor dan Klasari melakukan pemalangan sejak pukul 17.00 WP, Rabu (4/6/2025).

Pemalangan dilakukan masyarakat dengan memblokade jalan menuju ke kantor dan pabrik perusahaan perkebunan sawit PT Inti Kebun Sejahtera (IKSJ), sebagai respons atas penahanan 11 warga pada 8 Mei 2025 lalu. Kesebelas warga lalu resmi ditahan sejak 10 Mei 2025, dengan tuduhan menjual minyak solar milik perusahaan.

“Ini semua orang-orang adat. Ada yang sudah punya keluarga. Mereka bukan pencuri! Kalau memang ada masalah minyak, selesaikan dengan baik. Jangan langsung tangkap, tahan, dan lempar ke penjara! Di mana keadilan untuk masyarakat adat?” kata perwakilan warga Kampung Klasof Distrik Moisigin Kabupaten Sorong, Nikson Masinau.

Dalam keterangan yang diterima masyarakat kampung, pihak perusahaan PT IKSJ berdalih saat audit internal terdapat kerugian perusahaan sebesar Rp200 juta akibat penyalahgunaan solar.

Mereka dituduh menjual minyak solar milik perusahaan. Namun hingga saat ini, tidak ada kejelasan hukum maupun pertanggungjawaban dari pihak perusahaan.

“Kalau memang ada kerugian, kenapa perusahaan tidak pernah mau terbuka? Katanya minyak yang hilang nilainya Rp200 juta.Tapi mereka hanya tuduh dan buang tanggung jawab ke masyarakat adat. Ini tanah kami, kami pemilik hak ulayat. Kok kami diperlakukan seperti maling di tanah sendiri?” tegas Nikson.

Upaya persuasif sudah dilakukan oleh keluarga Masinau, tetapi perusahaan enggan menghadapi masyarakat secara langsung.

“Perusahaan ini seperti sembunyi-sembunyi. Tidak pernah datang terang-terangan ke masyarakat. Kami minta orang Jakarta, yang dari pusat, datang langsung. Jangan hanya kirim orang lapangan yang tidak punya kuasa ambil keputusan. Datang dan bicara langsung dengan kami,” lanjut Nikson.

Masyarakat adat menilai ini sebagai alasan lain yang menjadi motif penangkapan, karena salah satu warga yang ditahan adalah tokoh adat, pemilik wilayah adat di mana PT IKSJ beroperasi, Oktovianus Masinau.

“Perusahaan tidak mau hadapi kami langsung. Makanya kami palang. Kami tidak akan buka sampai orang Jakarta datang langsung, buka mulut di depan masyarakat adat, dan bebaskan 11 orang itu! Kalau tidak, palang adat tetap akan berdiri, sampai waktu yang tidak ditentukan!” ujar Nikson.

Juru Kampanye Selamatkan Tanah dan Hutan Malamoi, Fiktor Klafyu turut mengecam keras tindakan represif dan kriminalisasi yang dilakukan terhadap masyarakat adat.

“Perusahaan seperti PT IKSJ datang ke tanah ini hanya untuk mengeruk keuntungan. Mereka datang cari makan di tanah ini, tapi tidak mau menghargai hak masyarakat adat. Justru yang terjadi, masyarakat adat diperlakukan seperti pengganggu, seolah-olah tidak punya hak di tanahnya sendiri,” ujar Fiktor.

Ia menambahkan, perusakan hutan dan wilayah adat di Tanah Malamoi adalah bentuk penjajahan gaya baru yang dibungkus investasi. Menurutnya, kekerasan yang terjadi bukan hanya fisik, tetapi juga struktural dan sistematis.

“Ini bukan hanya soal penahanan. Ini soal sistem yang terus menindas masyarakat adat. Tanah kami dirampas, hutan kami dibabat, dan sekarang manusia adat dikriminalisasi. Ini bentuk penjajahan atas nama investasi. Sudah saatnya negara dan publik buka mata dan berdiri bersama masyarakat adat,” ujar Fiktor.

Masyarakat adat menegaskan bahwa aksi mereka bukan untuk kekerasan, tetapi sebagai cara terakhir mempertahankan harga diri dan hak warisan leluhur.

Kami tidak akan berhenti. Ini bukan hanya soal Oktovianus. Ini soal masa depan anak cucu kami. Kalau hari ini kami diam, besok seluruh tanah kami bisa hilang,” kata Nikson.

Jubi suda berupaya konfirmasi melalui pesan WhatsApp namun hingga berita ini diturunkan, pihak PT IKSJ belum memberikan tanggapan resmi terkait tuntutan masyarakat adat. (*)

Nama-nama warga yang ditahan:

1. Oktovianus Masinau (40)
2.  Libert (35)
3. Host (27)
4. Marianus (33)
5. Aldi (24)
6. Galu (25)
7. Maikel Haris (25)
8. Agus Olla
9. Maksi (31)
10. Rivaldi (27)
11. Gerson (30)

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