Jakarta, Ekuatorial – Indigenous People’s Alliance of the Archipelago or AMAN submitted 517 maps of customary lands to ministry of environment and forestry hoping to speed up legalization of customary rights, said secretary general of AMAN, Abdon Nababan, on Monday (22/12), in Jakarta.
“These maps are very important for indigenous people to be recognized. Land conflicts involving indigenous people are due to no recognition of their customary lands,” said Nababan adding that the maps covered a total of 4,822,299 hectares.
Furthermore, he said that mapping out customary lands, which majority were forest areas, would encourage for protection of indigenous people rights. In addition, the maps would encourage protection for traditional knowledge, cultural, and the environment.
Heru Prasetyo, head of Reducing Emission from Deforestation and Forest Degradation agency, known simply as REDD+ which oversees national efforts to conserve forests related to climate change impacts, said that his institution has been appointed by AMAN as ‘custodian of data’ of the maps. It means that REDD+ agency as a government institution would be able to include the maps into the One-Map policy initiated during President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono administration.
“Indigenous people has been receiving unfair treatment, marginalized. They are considered as ‘do not exist’ society which makes them excluded formally, in the state budget and Mid-Term National Development Plan. It is still going up to date,” said Prasetyo.
He cited the 2001 People’s Consultative Assembly decree (TAP MPR) which stipulated revisions on several regulations include the 2009 Law on forestry which was not in accordance to the 1945 Constitution related to acknowledgment of customary people. “We have been neglecting [indigenous people] for 13 years,” he said
Nevertheless, he said that situation had started to change in terms for open access and acknowledgment for customary people. The government effort to accommodate One-Map policy, he said, was seen as a goo opportunity for customary rights to be recognized. “So, this map is a potential step towards recognition of indigenous people and their lands,” he said.
The map submission was the second time for AMAN. They gave out the map in 2013 to then minister of environment Balthasar Kambuaya. Januar Hakam