In Indonesia’s Aceh, Indigenous communities seek recognition of their forest rights

The Indonesian Government to Recognize Community Claims to Ancestral Forests in Aceh Province

JAKARTA — The Indonesian government plans this year to recognize community claims to ancestral forests in the Sumatran province of Aceh for the first time in history.

The Ministry of Environment and Forestry has a target of recognizing the customary forests of 15 Indigenous communities this year. Among the targeted communities are those in Aceh, on the northern tip of Sumatra, said Yuli Prasetyo Nugroho, the ministry’s head of customary forest management.

Thirteen Indigenous communities in Aceh are seeking recognition of their rights to 144,497 hectares (357,060 acres) of customary forests, an area nearly the size of London.

“[But] until today, there hasn’t been any customary forest [formally recognized by the government] in Aceh,” Yuli told Mongabay in Jakarta. “So it is our priority” to recognize customary forests in Aceh.

The Mukim Question

In the hierarchy of administrative divisions in Indonesia, districts and cities are made up of several subdistricts. Each subdistrict is in turn split up into several wards. In Aceh, however, there’s an extra administrative level, sandwiched between subdistrict and ward, known as mukim.

Proposals for official recognition of customary forests are typically made at the ward level. The forestry ministry has always taken issue with proposals made at the mukim level, according to Teuku Muttaqin Mansur, a lecturer of customary laws at Syiah Kuala University in Aceh. That’s because the ministry is concerned that basing a customary forest around a mukim rather than a ward could give rise to conflict between the various wards that make up a mukim, he said.

Another concern is that, specifically in Pidie district, the mukims don’t have formally defined boundaries, Muttaqin added.

Yuli said this gives rise to uncertainty over how to allocate customary forests when boundaries remain hazy.

“It’s still unclear whether the Indigenous peoples live in mukims or in wards,” he added.

Yuli said the ministry had no issue with recognizing customary forests in administrative divisions larger than wards, citing the case of the Citorek Indigenous communities in Banten province. There, the ministry has issued formal recognition of a single customary forest to a group of five wards.

“So it doesn’t have to be a single village. It could be a group of villages,” Yuli said. “What’s important is to have collective recognition [of the Indigenous status], have clear boundaries and no overlapping claims. When all these have been sorted out, it’s faster [to get recognition].”

Call for Recognition

Muhammad Nasir, the chief of the Paloh mukim in Pidie, said residents of his mukim were keen to have their proposal for customary forests approved by the ministry.

He questioned why this hasn’t happened yet, pointing to Indigenous communities in other regions that have had their customary forest rights recognized.

“We’ve been managing and protecting forests from generation to generation,” Nasir said as quoted by Indonesian daily Kompas. “But we need legal certainty so that [our] forests are not taken over by other parties.”

Forests stewarded by Indigenous communities have repeatedly been shown to be healthier and better protected than those that aren’t. Mukims in Aceh already practice robust customary laws to manage their forests, such as a ban on clearing forests within 200 meters (660 feet) of water sources and 100 m (330 ft) from riverbanks.

These laws also prohibit the cutting down of specific trees as well as large trees that host beehives or whose wood can be made into boats or barges.

Besides contributing to forest protection, the recognition of customary forests in Aceh would also contribute to President Joko Widodo’s social forestry program. Under the program, the Widodo administration aims to reallocate 12.7 million hectares (31.4 million acres) of state forest to local communities and given them the legal standing to manage their forests.

This equals about 7% of the total land area of Indonesia, which makes it one of the largest social and environmental experiments in recent history.

As of the end of May, the forestry ministry had granted recognition of 152,000 hectares (375,600 acres) of customary forests to 108 Indigenous communities in 36 districts and cities.

Nasir said that without legal protection, he’s worried that his Indigenous community members will lose their forests and subsequently their livelihood

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators Analysis

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 1: No Poverty
• SDG 2: Zero Hunger
• SDG 5: Gender Equality
• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
• SDG 13: Climate Action
• SDG 15: Life on Land
• SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions

The article discusses the recognition of community claims to ancestral forests in Aceh province, which is connected to several SDGs. SDG 1 is relevant as recognizing these claims can help reduce poverty by empowering Indigenous communities and protecting their livelihoods. SDG 2 is connected as recognizing customary forests can contribute to food security for Indigenous communities. SDG 5 is relevant because recognizing Indigenous rights promotes gender equality by empowering Indigenous women. SDG 10 is addressed as recognizing customary forests helps reduce inequalities by protecting the rights of Indigenous communities. SDG 13 is connected as recognizing these forests contributes to climate action by preserving valuable ecosystems. SDG 15 is relevant as it focuses on protecting biodiversity and ecosystems, which is achieved through recognizing customary forests. Finally, SDG 16 is addressed as recognizing Indigenous rights contributes to building peaceful and just societies.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• Target 1.4: By 2030, ensure that all men and women, in particular, the poor and the vulnerable, have equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to basic services, ownership, and control over land and other forms of property.
• Target 2.3: By 2030, double the agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers, in particular, women, indigenous peoples, family farmers, pastoralists, and fishers, including through secure and equal access to land, other productive resources, and inputs, knowledge, financial services, markets, and opportunities for value addition and non-farm employment.
• Target 5.5: Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic, and public life.
• Target 10.2: By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic, and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status.
• Target 13.3: Improve education, awareness-raising, and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction, and early warning.
• Target 15.2: By 2020, promote the implementation of sustainable management of all types of forests, halt deforestation, restore degraded forests, and substantially increase afforestation and reforestation globally.
• Target 16.3: Promote the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensure equal access to justice for all.

Based on the article’s content, these specific targets can be identified. They focus on ensuring equal rights to economic resources and land ownership (Target 1.4), improving agricultural productivity and incomes for small-scale food producers (Target 2.3), promoting women’s participation in decision-making (Target 5.5), empowering marginalized groups (Target 10.2), enhancing climate change education and awareness (Target 13.3), implementing sustainable forest management (Target 15.2), and promoting the rule of law and access to justice (Target 16.3).

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

Yes, there are indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets. Some potential indicators include:

• Number of Indigenous communities with recognized customary forest rights
• Area of customary forests recognized
• Number of Indigenous women participating in decision-making processes
• Reduction in poverty rates among Indigenous communities
• Improvement in agricultural productivity and incomes for small-scale food producers
• Extent of climate change education and awareness among Indigenous communities
• Extent of sustainable forest management practices implemented
• Level of access to justice for Indigenous communities

These indicators can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets by collecting relevant data and monitoring changes over time.

4. Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators