Securing Indigenous land rights in Indonesia is a climate imperative

Indonesia is home to the world’s most biodiverse forests. Indigenous Peoples, who make up around 40% of the country’s population, have safeguarded these forests for generations through their customary laws, traditions, and collective governance. 

But these guardians face relentless threats: dispossession, denial of rights, and the erosion of their territories. When their rights are under attack, forests fall, cultures weaken, and a crucial buffer against climate change is lost.

Still, Indigenous resistance is powerful. Communities such as the Dayak Iban of Sungai Utik, the Ammatoa Kajang of South Sulawesi, and the Kasepuhan Karang in Banten have won important victories in securing recognition of their ancestral forests and traditions. In Papua and the Aru Islands, Indigenous groups have successfully resisted destructive mega-projects. These wins are vital—and their impact extends on a global scale.

But threats are rising fast. Nickel mining in Papua and Maluku is displacing communities, poisoning ecosystems, and endangering even uncontacted groups like the O’ Hongana Manyawa. Palm oil, mega-infrastructure like Indonesia’s new capital project, and poorly regulated green energy initiatives pile on more pressure. Meanwhile, the criminalisation of Indigenous leaders and defenders is widespread, with hundreds facing arrests, lawsuits, and violence.

Indigenous commStill, communities resist. But lasting change needs more than resistance—it needs structural reform and direct financing. A breakthrough is finally on the table: the long-delayed Indigenous Peoples Bill, now set for Indonesia’s 2025 legislative agenda. Its passage would be a historic milestone—formally recognising Indigenous rights, strengthening forest protection, and laying the groundwork for a fairer, more sustainable future.

For a deeper dive, read Fast-Tracking Indigenous Land Rights Is a Climate Imperative: Protecting Indonesia’s Forests Amid Rising Threats by Rukka Sombolinggi, Secretary General of AMAN, and our Board member Joan Carling. Details below.