This study analyses the significant contribution of traditional Dayak communities, particularly the Dayak Kenyah sub-tribe, to the conservation of natural resources and forests through their social systems and customs, which have proven their resilience for hundreds of years. Through a case study of the Dayak Kenyah community in East Kalimantan and North Kalimantan, I found a structured pattern of spatial planning and land management that effectively preserves forests and watersheds in the upper reaches. This land management strategy includes functional zoning, ranging from settlements, agriculture, plantations, to traditional cultural areas, and most importantly, the designation of forest areas as conservation and traditional use areas. The essence of this local wisdom is evident in the concept of Tana' Ulen (Tane' Olen), which is restricted land or protected areas managed by custom, which guarantees restrictions on utilisation so that the entire community can benefit from resources fairly and sustainably. Philosophically, this Dayak conservation tradition is deeply aligned with the principles of Deep Ecology. Their worldview places nature as a central, spiritual, and sacred entity, explicitly recognising the intrinsic value of nature and rejecting anthropocentrism, which places humans as rulers.

The balance and harmony of human relations with nature are manifested through traditional rituals and sustainable practices, such as shifting cultivation systems integrated with regenerative principles. In the future, these Dayak Kenyah conservation values have great potential to be implemented as content and teaching materials in ethnopedagogical biology learning to improve conservation literacy among the younger generation.