Suro Porridge Tradition, preserving knowledge and value as cultural ecosystem services in Bumiaji Village, East Java, Indonesia
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Abstract. Istikomayanti Y, Leksono AS, Gama ZP, Batoro J. 2026. Suro Porridge Tradition, preserving knowledge and value as cultural ecosystem services in Bumiaji Village, East Java, Indonesia. Asian J Ethnobiol 9: y090105. https://doi.org/10.13057/asianjethnobiol/y090105. The Suro Porridge Tradition in Bumiaji Village, East Java, Indonesia, is a prime biocultural practice and an indigenous response to conservation challenges. Deeply embedded in the community's heritage, this new year ritual involves serving porridge made from local products like rice and endemic root crops (polo pendem). The tradition is a tangible expression of traditional conservation knowledge. This research aims to analyze the Suro Tradition, specifically the porridge ritual, as an exemplary model of Cultural Ecosystem Services (CES) in Bumiaji. A total of 69 plant species from 31 families were documented, with 43% categorized as moderate and 57% as low in the Index of Cultural Significance (ICS) were collected through semi-structured interviews with 53 respondents, participant observation, and an inventory of plant use. Rice (Oryza sativa) held the highest ICS value due to its combined spiritual and cultural importance, while tuber species (polo pendem) reflected shifting historical patterns of resource use. The CES assessment revealed that the tradition provides strong identity, spiritual, educational, and place-based values, sustained through communal participation and public festival formats introduced over the past 15 years. The ultimate measure of success is the intergenerational transfer of a stewardship ethic, evidenced by the younger generation's engagement in regenerative agriculture and agroforestry. Supported by the Bumiaji Village government's support for the younger generation's involvement. The Suro Tradition thus emerges as a robust, community-driven conservation model that strengthens socio-ecological resilience and underscores the need for policy frameworks that recognize and support biocultural practices as foundational components of sustainable landscape management.
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