To show its commitment to protecting the land rights of indigenous people, the government held a ceremony to officially grant custody of customary forests to indigenous communities at the State Palace on Friday.

The ceremony was held after the Environment and Forestry Ministry had earlier signed the decrees on nine customary forests, in a landmark decision that grants land custody to the indigenous people living there and whose land rights have long been denied by the government in favor of large plantation and mining companies.

The nine customary forests cover a total area of about 13,100 hectares, which are home to 5,700 family units.

At the event, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo reiterated his pledge to redistribute a total of 12.7 million hectares of community forests and customary forests by 2019 to stem rampant land disputes involving indigenous communities.

Many indigenous communities, scattered mostly in Sumatra, Kalimantan and Sulawesi, have tried to claim their rights following a 2013 Constitutional Court historic ruling that annulled state ownership of customary forests. However, it has taken three years for the government to officially grant the nine customary forests, while many others have yet to be recognized, as red tape continues to block indigenous peoples’ access to their lands.

“The recognition of customary forests is not only about protecting traditional rights; but it also means a recognition of Indonesian values and the nation’s true identity,” Jokowi said.

The President also reminded the indigenous communities to continue protecting the customary forests, which is a necessity as stipulated in a regulation issued to follow up the 2013 ruling.

The regulation allows locals to exploit the forests’ resources to meet their daily needs, but only if the exploitation is in line with the status of the forest, whether it is a production forest or protected forest.

“They once were labeled as [forest] squatters. But, now, we uphold their constitutional rights as citizens,” Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar said.

The nine customary forests are Ammatoa Kajang in South Sulawesi; Wana Posangke in Central Sulawesi; Kasepuhan Karang in Banten; Bukit Sembahyang and Padun Gelanggang in Jambi; Tombak Haminjon in North Sumatra; and five others located in Jambi — the Marga Serampas, Bukit Tinggai, Tigo Luhah Permenti Yang Berenam and Tigo Luhah Kementan.

Dahniar Andriani of the Society for Legal Reform (Huma), one of NGOs that have been assisting the indigenous people in fighting for their land rights, welcomed the move, describing it as an opportunity for local administrations to support such calls and reminding the customary groups to “continue protecting the forests and playing a part in reducing carbon emissions”.

Local bylaws on recognition of the customary rights of the indigenous communities in the forest areas, along with customary forest maps, are among the documents required by the central government for those communities to get the customary forest custody.

The bylaws can be issued by local administrations after they, among other prerequisites, verify that those people have been living in the area for a long time and that the customary land truly exists.

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