The role of NGOs in recognition and sustainable maintenance of customary forests within indigenous communities: The case of Kerinci, Indonesia

Abstract

In 2013, the Constitutional Court of Indonesia ruled that customary forest areas (hutan adat) should not be included in state forest areas. This decision permitted customary communities to claim land rights in Indonesian state forests for the first time. This change required formal legal institutions to recognize forests managed by adat rules (customary, informal institutions) by granting property rights. This study considered two villages in Kerinci District to clarify how customary forests were recognized by district and central governments with support from non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The researchers surveyed documents referencing customary forests and interviewed local residents, NGOs, and other government sectors. The World Wildlife Fund and a local NGO helped to protect both the environment and villagers’ rights by developing a formal recognition system of customary forests as district-level institutions, as well as by reinforcing village-level institutions. NGOs’ critical support of local communities’ field activities strengthened the maintenance of customary forests recognized by the district government. The recognition of customary forests in Kerinci (to which NGOs contributed significantly) has become an antecedent to the national-level customary forest scheme.