Legal Protection for The Indigenous Law Communities and Their Traditional Rights Based on the Verdict of the Constitutional Court

Abstract

This study covers the problems related to the regulation of Adat (Indigenous) law communities. First, the Law Number 41 of 1999 on Forestry categorizes indigenous forests as State Forest. Therefore, the state has the authority to stipulate indigenous forests as long as the relevant Indigenous Law Communities are still existed and recognized. Second, the Law Number 27 of 2007 on Management of Coastal Areas and Small Islands provides opportunities for owners of large capital through Coastal Water Concession Rights (HP-3), but the substance does not provide space for coastal communities especially fishermen carrying out economic activities in coastal areas. Due to limited capital and technology, coastal communities are not able to compete with large capital owners hence the poverty level of fishermen keeps increasing. Finally, the Law Number 41 of 1999 on Forestry and the Law Number 27 of 2007 on Management of Small Coastal Areas and Islands tested materially to the Constitutional Court. The research method used in this study is normative legal research. The results of the research are forms of legal protection against the existence of indigenous law communities and their traditional rights, which include protection of their indigenous rights over the status and management of indigenous forests and their protection over the management of coastal areas and small islands.