Lived, Conceived, and Perceived Spaces: Community-Based Environmental Conservation through the Lens of Henri Lefebvre

Abstract This research examines the dynamics of environmental conservation in the villages of Nagari Tabek, Nagari Saruaso, and Nagari Simawang, located in Tanah Datar Regency, through the theoretical lens of Henri Lefebvre’s production of space. By analyzing how environmental spaces are constructed, controlled, and experienced by local actors, the study explores the tensions between the conceived space of state planning, the perceived space of everyday land use by customary communities and farmers, and the lived space shaped by cultural and symbolic practices. Data were collected through participatory observation, in-depth interviews, and analysis of nagari-level planning documents. The findings reveal that environmental conservation in these areas is not merely a technical ecological issue but a contested terrain of meanings and interests. Local practices such as customary land mapping, collective water management, and the symbolic role of nature in customary rituals serve as subtle forms of resistance to the homogenization of space introduced by modern development. This study recommends a conservation approach that is more sensitive to the lived meanings of space as experienced by local communities, aligning with a just and sustainable production of space.