{ "abstract": "Shifting cultivation is frequently misrepresented in policy and environmental discourse as ecologically destructive and economically inefficient. This study examines the lived multifunctionality of shifting cultivation (jhum) landscapes in the Naga Self-Administered Zone of Myanmar, where Indigenous Naga communities depend on diverse land-use mosaics for livelihoods, cultural reproduction, and ecological resilience. Drawing on fieldwork in 42 villages across Layshi Township, we combined participatory mapping, livelihood product inventories, and community-based scoring to analyse how different land-use types, including jhum fields, forests, gardens, and paddy terraces, are perceived and valued by local communities. The results show that jhum systems, commonly categorised by the state as “vacant” or “degraded” land, are locally regarded as the most multifunctional land-use type, providing the widest range of livelihood products and contributing consistently to food security, medicines, construction materials, and cultural practices. Forests and home gardens complement jhum fields by supporting dietary diversity and income, together forming an interdependent landscape mosaic. These findings highlight a disconnect between technocratic land-governance frameworks and Indigenous understandings of sustainability, and demonstrate how the misrecognition of multifunctional upland systems can undermine pathways toward more inclusive sustainability transformations. Recognising customary land-use systems such as jhum is therefore critical not only for ecological sustainability, but also for epistemic justice and more equitable development policy. Author summary: Shifting cultivation is often described as backward, destructive, or temporary, but for many Indigenous communities it remains part of a complex and highly valued landscape. In this study, we worked with Naga communities in Layshi Township in northwest Myanmar to better understand how people use and value different parts of their customary lands. Through participatory mapping, village surveys, and community scoring exercises, we found that these landscapes support a wide range of needs, including food, income, construction materials, cultural practices, and ecological functions. Our findings show that shifting cultivation areas, fallows, forests, gardens, paddy fields, and other land types are not separate or isolated spaces. Rather, they work together as part of a multifunctional system that supports livelihoods and resilience. This matters because land policies often fail to recognise the diversity and value of these systems, especially when land is classified in narrow or simplified ways. By making local land use and community values more visible, this study contributes to wider debates about customary tenure, Indigenous land rights, and more inclusive approaches to land governance.", "abstract_shown": true, "affiliations": [ "Centre for Development and Environment, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland", "Regional Center for Social-Science and Sustainable Development, Faculty of Social Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand", "Independent Researcher, Chiang Mai, Thailand", "Independent Researcher, Konstanz, Germany", "Environmental Science Research Center, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand", "CREATES – Centre de Recherche-Action sur les Transformations Écologiques et Sociales, Thiafoura, Senegal", "Wyss Academy for Nature, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland", "The International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), Cali, Colombia" ], "article_type": "Research Article", "arxiv": null, "author_total": 8, "authors": [ { "affs": [ 0 ], "name": "Glenn Hunt" }, { "affs": [ 1 ], "name": "Athong Makury" }, { "affs": [ 2 ], "name": "Julia Fogerite" }, { "affs": [ 3 ], "name": "Manuel von der Mühlen" }, { "affs": [ 4 ], "name": "Arkar Soe Htet" }, { "affs": [ 5 ], "name": "Joan Bastide" }, { "affs": [ 6 ], "name": "Andreas Heinimann" }, { "affs": [ 7 ], "name": "Henri Rueff" } ], "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/8g1v2v1mw3t57.bib", "cited_by": 0, "doi": "10.1371/journal.pstr.0000288", "fulltext_url": "https://journals.plos.org/sustainabilitytransformation/article?id=10.1371/journal.pstr.0000288", "id": "8g1v2v1mw3t57", "issns": [ "2767-3197" ], "landing_url": "https://journals.plos.org/sustainabilitytransformation/article?id=10.1371/journal.pstr.0000288", "language": null, "licence": "CC-BY-4.0", "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0", "licence_source": "journal", "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "metadata_licence": null, "native_subjects": [ [ "openalex", "1110|Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Agriculture" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Ecology/Ecosystems" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Ecology/Ecosystems/Forests" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Ecology/Forest ecology" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Organisms/Eukaryota/Plants/Vegetables" ], [ "plos", "/Earth sciences/Geography/Human geography/Land use" ], [ "plos", "/Ecology and environmental sciences/Ecology/Ecosystems" ], [ "plos", "/Ecology and environmental sciences/Ecology/Ecosystems/Forests" ], [ "plos", "/Ecology and environmental sciences/Ecology/Forest ecology" ], [ "plos", "/Ecology and environmental sciences/Terrestrial environments/Forests" ], [ "plos", "/People and places/Demography/Indigenous populations" ], [ "plos", "/People and places/Geographical locations/Asia/Myanmar" ], [ "plos", "/Social sciences/Anthropology/Indigenous populations" ], [ "plos", "/Social sciences/Human geography/Land use" ], [ "plos", "/Social sciences/Sociology/Culture" ] ], "openalex": "W7221193254", "pdf_url": "https://journals.plos.org/sustainabilitytransformation/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pstr.0000288&type=printable", "pmcid": null, "pmid": null, "published": "2026-10-09", "publisher": "Public Library of Science", "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/8g1v2v1mw3t57.ris", "sources": [ { "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:30Z", "native_id": "10.1371/journal.pstr.0000288", "source": "plos", "url": "https://journals.plos.org/sustainabilitytransformation/article?id=10.1371/journal.pstr.0000288" } ], "subjects": [ { "field": "biology", "origin": "plos:ecology", "subfield": "ecology" } ], "title": "Lived multifunctionality: Indigenous perceptions of shifting cultivation landscapes in the Naga Hills of Myanmar", "title_text": "Lived multifunctionality: Indigenous perceptions of shifting cultivation landscapes in the Naga Hills of Myanmar", "type": "peer-reviewed", "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:17:30Z", "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/8g1v2v1mw3t57", "venue": "PLOS Sustainability and Transformation", "versions": [] }