Indigenous people start mapping territory

Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Sat, 03/13/2010 9:18 AM

Indigenous people have begun mapping their customary land across the country in an effort to gain recognition amid conflict with the government and business communities over land ownership.

The Alliance of Archipelagic Indigenous People (AMAN) estimated the indigenous people had traditionally occupied about 20 million hectares of land, most natural forest.

AMAN, with its 1,163 communities occupying about 7.5 million hectares of land, mapped 2.3 million hectares of customary land.

“We will submit the map to the government as a reference for land policies,” secretary-general of AMAN, Abdon Nababan, told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

The mapping was organized by AMAN, Forest Watch Indonesia and the Network for Participatory Mapping.

The coalition set up a customary land registration body that will be in charge of mapping the land traditionally occupied by indigenous people.

Abdon said that massive conversions of forest occupied by customary communities were undertaken for business purposes, including plantations, and mining had yet to negate the involvement of indigenous groups.

It then led to repeated conflicts between customary communities with business players.

The map will determine the total forest belonging to indigenous people, which will be used as a source for their livelihood.

He said that the government must change its perspective in managing the country’s natural resources by ignoring the rights of indigenous people and undermining local wisdom in protecting forests.

“The government still looks at customary land as state forest, though the indigenous people occupied the area long before the government’s presence,” he said.

“Indigenous people need legal certainty,” he said.

Articles 18B and 28I in the amended 1945 Constitution say that the state recognizes and respects the rights of indigenous people.

The House of Representatives is scheduled to discuss a draft bill on recognition rights of customary communities this year.

The 1999 ministerial decree on guidelines on resolving the rights of customary land stipulates the state protected customary community.

So far, the Forestry Ministry and the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry have ignored communal rights by issuing mining permits and forest concessions.

Coordinator of the BRWA, Kasmita Widodo, said the mapping process would take place in three years. The locations would be determined during the congress in April in Medan, North Sumatra.

The customary community roles has been a crucial issue in international climate change talks in protecting forests to prevent carbon leakage once the deforestation and forest degradation scheme to reduce emissions (REDD) occurs.

The unclear status of indigenous people managing forests may hamper the REDD program’ implementation.

Environment Minister Gusti Muhammad Hatta said at least 20 percent of revenue from the REDD scheme should be transferred to indigenous people, who play crucial roles in protecting the forest.