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Coordinated and published by The Grassroots Institute, the Grassroots Journal of Natural Resources (GJNR) is an international journal dedicated to the latest advancements in natural resources throughout the world. The goal of this journal is to provide a platform for scientists, social scientists, policy analysts, managers and practitioners (on all academic and professional levels) all over the world to promote, discuss and share various new issues and developments in different arenas of natural resources.
Aga Natalis*1, Moh. Asadullah Hasan Al Asy’Arie2, Ahmad Ainun Najib3,
Kadek Cahya Susila Wibawa4
1Faculty of Law, Universitas Diponegoro, Jalan dr. Antonius Suroyo, Tembalang, Semarang City, Central Java 50275, Indonesia. Email: aganataliss@lecturer.undip.ac.id | ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7077-9169
2Faculty of Law, Universitas Diponegoro, Jalan dr. Antonius Suroyo, Tembalang, Semarang City, Central Java 50275, Indonesia. Email: asadullah@lecturer.undip.ac.id | ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-5507-4211
3Faculty of Law, Universitas Diponegoro, Jalan dr. Antonius Suroyo, Tembalang, Semarang City, Central Java 50275, Indonesia. Email: ahmadainunnajib@lecturer.undip.ac.id | ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2155-0306
4Faculty of Law, Universitas Diponegoro, Jalan dr. Antonius Suroyo, Tembalang, Semarang City, Central Java 50275, Indonesia. Email: kadekwibawa@lecturer.undip.ac.id | ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5468-8072
*Corresponding author
Grassroots Journal of Natural Resources, 8(3): 89-107. Doi: https://doi.org/10.33002/nr2581.6853.080305
Received: 06 October 2025
Reviewed: 11 November 2025
Provisionally Accepted: 15 November 2025
Revised: 21 November 2025
Finally Accepted: 23 November 2025
Published: 27 December 2025
Balancing economic growth with social equity and ecological integrity remains a central challenge for sustainable development in Indonesia, especially in tourism-intensive regions. This study examines how the Balinese philosophy of Tri Hita Karana (parahyangan, pawongan, palemahan) can integrate ethically welfare-state responsibilities with pentahelix collaboration to improve water and environmental governance. We employ an interpretive, qualitative case-study design in Bali, combining document analysis, semi-structured interviews, and field observations. Three interrelated cases are analysed: the Subak irrigation system, water-energy security initiatives, and tourism-driven development. Thematic analysis is guided by Tri Hita Karana’s spiritual, social-institutional, and ecological dimensions. Across cases, collaboration among government, business, academia, civil society, and media is more effective and socially legitimate when explicitly anchored to Tri Hita Karana values. Field evidence indicates that incorporating sacred sites and customary water rights into spatial planning increases local consent and regulatory compliance; conversely, tourism-led projects that neglect these values are associated with diminished local water access, weaker monitoring, and enforcement gaps. Subak-based practices demonstrate how community governance and spiritual-ecological norms stabilise allocation and reduce conflict, while document reviews show that welfare-state instruments remain underutilised for ecological protection when policy is narrowly framed as service delivery rather than ecological stewardship. Embedding Tri Hita Karana within welfare-state and pentahelix arrangements reframes development from technocratic provision to relational sustainability, supporting policies such as spiritual-ecological zoning, participatory environmental audits, and polluter-pays enforcement that safeguard socio-ecological balance in Bali.
Tri Hita Karana; Pentahelix; Welfare state; Ecological justice; Water governance
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Natalis, A., Al Asy’Arie, M.A.H., Najib, A.A. and Wibawa, K.C.S. (2025). Tri Hita Karana as the Spirit of Sustainable Development: Integration of the Welfare State and Pentahelix Collaboration in Indonesia. Grassroots Journal of Natural Resources, 8(3): 89-107. Doi: https://doi.org/10.33002/nr2581.6853.080305
Natalis, A., Al Asy’Arie, M.A.H., Najib, A.A., & Wibawa, K.C.S. (2025). Tri Hita Karana as the Spirit of Sustainable Development: Integration of the Welfare State and Pentahelix Collaboration in Indonesia. Grassroots Journal of Natural Resources, 8(3), 89-107. https://doi.org/10.33002/nr2581.6853.080305
Natalis A., Al Asy’Arie M.A.H., Najib A.A., Wibawa K.C.S. Tri Hita Karana as the Spirit of Sustainable Development: Integration of the Welfare State and Pentahelix Collaboration in Indonesia. Grassroots Journal of Natural Resources, 2025, 8 (3), 89-107. https://doi.org/10.33002/nr2581.6853.080305
Natalis, Aga, Al Asy’Arie, Moh. Asadullah Hasan, Najib, Ahmad Ainun, Wibawa, Kadek Cahya Susila. 2025. “Tri Hita Karana as the Spirit of Sustainable Development: Integration of the Welfare State and Pentahelix Collaboration in Indonesia”. Grassroots Journal of Natural Resources, 8 no. 3: 89-107. https://doi.org/10.33002/nr2581.6853.080305
Natalis, Aga, Moh. Asadullah Hasan Al Asy’Arie, Ahmad Ainun Najib and Kadek Cahya Susila Wibawa. 2025. “Tri Hita Karana as the Spirit of Sustainable Development: Integration of the Welfare State and Pentahelix Collaboration in Indonesia”. Grassroots Journal of Natural Resources, 8 (3): 89-107. https://doi.org/10.33002/nr2581.6853.080305
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