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" Communal forest management practices often regarded as illegal and unsustainable activities by the Indonesian government. In the Paru village, West Sumatra'Rimbo larangan'is a communal forest management practices based on local/indigenous peoples to maintain sustainability. This study aims to identify and understand how they are able to establish and maintain the area as protected forest activities, so the area is remain sustainable until today. The study used a descriptive method to clarify the role of local custom institutions in the management of protected areas' Rimbo larangan'. The results showed that the local customary institutions facilitated the rural communities' interests of Paru villages for the environmental conservation purposed as a source of water for paddy fields. Rimbo larangan justified to use non-timber forest products, while the use of timber prohibited. Agencies involved in the management of rimbo larangan involved all elements of community. Control by community which local agencies as local initiatives. The rules rimbo larangan management carried out in a legal form of village regulation (PERNA) as formal rules and as informal rules maintains rimbo larangan was a customary rule. As tenure institution, in rimbo larangan there was formalization of the indigenous people's rights to communal interests, which limits the individual interests of the forest products, thus supporting sustainability."