Native Land Research Articles

A sociotheological interpretation of Genesis 50:25 in a Zimbabwean context

Migration to foreign lands is as old as the biblical stories of Abraham leaving his native land, Ur of the Chaldeans to go to a land that God was to show him. Concomitant with migration, however, is the possibility of death in the new habitat and oftentimes important decisions are made on how to fund the funerals. In the case of Zimbabwean diasporas, this has seen the rise in popularity of funeral insurance companies such as Diaspora Insurance and the GoFundMe initiatives. While the issue of funding funerals appears to be the primary thing that people are seized with when a funeral strikes, the most salient aspects would be issues of religion and culture. This article endeavours to show how, despite the challenging economic environment, the costly repatriation of dead relatives can best be appreciated through a sociotheological interpretation of Genesis 50:25. In other words, Genesis 50:25 can be used as a mirror to understand the value people place on issues of religion and culture. It is thus my argument that the religious background of the actors as well as their socio-cultural setting are critical in making important decisions regarding the place of interment as well as influencing the funding logistics to take the corpse to the desired resting place.Contribution: As the death toll continues to rise of diasporas who would have gone offshore in search of a reprieve from the economic challenges that have become almost an indelible mark of Zimbabwe, issues around the values of traditional religion and culture continue to come to the fore. This research adds a voice to the ongoing religious and political dialogue in Zimbabwe in so far as it seeks to explain and understand the underlying reasons behind the costly repatriation of deceased relatives through a sociotheological reading of Genesis 50:25.

Environmental aspects of remote sensing for the classification of asbestos industry impact on the landscape changes in Cyprus

Abstract. The Industrial Revolution led to the commercial exploitation of asbestos in Cyprus. Cyprus has the second largest asbestos deposits in Europe, after Italy. Even though most of the extracted asbestos was exported, Cyprus had two operational asbestos manufacturing plants. Production increased steadily until 1980, with mining activities ending in 1988. These activities have left a significant mark on the environment. The key example of post-asbestos landscape in Cyprus is the opencast mine at Amiandos in the Limassol District, where large amounts of asbestos were mined. This has had a considerable impact on the natural environment and land use including the disposal of asbestos residues and asbestos-cement waste. Temporal analysis of land use changes from 1963 to 2014 reveals shifts in exploitation areas and vegetation cover. Though challenges persist, including asbestos-containing waste, efforts to restore vegetation in the mine area are evident. The evolution from sparse and undeveloped vegetation to a lush and diverse ecosystem is important for restoring ecological balance and restoring habitats for local fauna and flora. This research provides critical insights into the historical context, environmental impacts, and remediation efforts related to asbestos mining in Cyprus.

From Exile to Belonging: The [re]construction of Identity in the Context of Forced Migration

Focusing on Syrian and Afghan refugees and asylum seekers in Spain and Greece, this study employs social identity theory and intergroup contact theory to examine the process of identity construction. Drawing from thirty-five semi-structured interviews, the study highlights how the positive distinctiveness of their homeland and community significantly shapes their sense of self-worth, despite having fled due to persecution. The study finds that Afghan and Syrian refugees alike demonstrate a close attachment to their natural heritage, while also assigning particular importance to the historical and cultural legacies of their native lands. This sense of homeland identity interlaces with a multifaceted self-representation, mirroring the intricate ties between the host and homeland. Three identity discourse patterns appear: persecuted identity, identity conciliation, and critical consciousness. The refugees' dual perception of their homeland, as both a failed and desired land, influences their perceived self-worth in interpersonal interactions, as well as their sense of integration within the host society.

Provision of land use and forest density maps in semi-arid areas of Iran using Sentinel-2 satellite images and vegetation indices

Zagros forests of Iran have several environmental, ecological, and socioeconomic values which provide the unique habitats for many endemic species. However, these ecosystems have severely been destroyed by many anthropogenic and natural factors in recent years. Knowledge of area, distribution, and density of these forests and current natural and human-made land uses inside these ecosystems is necessary for protective management of Zagros forests. This research was performed to obtain the land use and forest density maps in Zagros vegetative area of Fars province in southwestern Iran using Sentinel-2A, vegetation indices, Google Earth, and field data. First the boundary of Zagros forests in Fars province was digitized on Google Earth images. Then, Sentinel-2A satellite images covering the forest region in Fars province were obtained from Copernicus website. A pilot area (16000 ha) in the province was considered to investigate the precision of classification methods. Then, Sentinel-2A satellite image of pilot region was classified by some supervised classification methods (ML: maximum likelihood, MD: minimum distance, MaD: mahalanobis distance, SAM: spectral angle mapper, NN: neural network, SVM: support vector machine, and RF: random forest). In addition, the efficiency of different vegetation indices (NDVI, TNDVI, SAVI, and RVI) was evaluated for classifying the forest density in the pilot region. Furthermore, pilot area was considered to test the precision of Google Earth satellite images in this study. For this purpose, 270 field samples were taken as square plots in nine land uses. Selection of the plots inside each land use was randomly. After initial analysis, all satellite images covering the forest area in Fars province were classified by the most accurate algorithm (SVM) to obtain the land use map. On the other hand, the most accurate vegetation index (SAVI) was used to classify the forest density in the study area. Validation of final maps was performed using several random plots on Google Earth images. The initial results of this research indicated that Google Earth images have an overall accuracy (OA) of 96% compared to ground truth in Fars province. Results of land use map showed that Zagros forest has covered an area of 794651.79 ha in Fars province. The findings of this research demonstrated that SVM algorithm (OA: 92.94%, and k: 0.85) has efficiently classified the land uses in Fars province. In addition, SAVI (r2=0.719, p<0.001) has highly been correlated to the forest density in Zagros vegetative area of Fars province. Therefore, land use mapping using SVM algorithm and Sentinel-2A images, and forest density mapping using SAVI is highly recommended in Zagros forests of Fars province in time series which is essential for protective management of these forests in spatio-temporal scale.

Plain Paths and Dividing Lines: Navigating Native Land and Water in the Seventeenth-Century Chesapeake by Jessica Lauren Taylor (review)

Plain Paths and Dividing Lines: Navigating Native Land and Water in the Seventeenth-Century Chesapeake by Jessica Lauren Taylor (review)

Mathematical Modeling and Enhancing the Carrying Capacity of National Parks in the United States

A rapid growth in the number of visitors has been observed for many national parks in the United States, examples include Yellowstone National Park, Yosemite National Park, Rocky Mountain National Park and Arches National Park. As a result, public transit and parking resources have been stretched closer and closer to their capacities in these parks. In response, some National Park Services (NPS) have started to implement crowd control measurements, such as the timed entry reservation systems, where visitors have to reserve their slots to visit the park during certain time periods of the year. However, such policy does not touch on the fundamental issue of the subject, that is, the carrying capacity of the park. In this paper, we demonstrate that there will be even greater growth in the number of visitors in the near future, which means that a capacity boost is inevitable. Fortunately, we also observe that if we can fix some key bottlenecks, then we can dramatically increase the capacity of the park without destroying more natural land.

Environmental and economic assessment of mixed plastic waste pelletization in the Gulf Cooperation Council region

Pelletizing mixed plastic wastes (MPW) has gained interest as an upcycling technology and an alternative to conventional recycling. To investigate its potential, we conducted a cost analysis and life-cycle assessment (LCA) for a conceptual pelletization facility designed to produce 1 kg of pellets per batch of MPW (comprising polyethylene—PE and polypropylene—PP). This work has the following merits: (i) evaluating environmental impact (EI), cost analysis, and mechanical strength based on actual experimental data and its comparison with local and international manufacturers; (ii) enabling the evaluation of LCA impacts of MPW pellets; and (iii) emphasizing the significance of waste management in reducing EIs. The following ten EIs were assessed: climate change (CC), net energy, particulate matter formation, natural land transformation, metal depletion, marine ecotoxicity, ionising radiation, freshwater ecotoxicity, freshwater eutrophication, and terrestrial ecotoxicity. The CC of the as-synthesized pellets is 1.26 kg CO2 eq., significantly lower than the data obtained from the Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association (GPCA) and an actual plant in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. Additionally, the net energy required for the production of 1 kg of pellets is 54.1 MJ, while the cost is around 0.55 USD. The tensile strength of MPW pellets (24.63 MPa) falls between that of PE virgin pellets (21.12 MPa) and PP virgin pellets (28.12 MPa). This suggests that the MPW pellets exhibit competitive strength characteristics, warranting its consideration for applications where moderate strength is required. Overall, the competitive cost, coupled with the reduced EIs, demonstrates the potential of pelletization as a sustainable and economically viable waste management solution.

Unraveling the spatio-temporal trajectories of urban growth in Asansol city, West Bengal: A geospatial exploration of the emerging urbanlandscape

The rapid urban growth of Asansol City has led to the rise of unplanned built-up areas, disrupting natural land covers and posing challenges to sustainable resource management. Hence, this study aims to quantify spatio-temporal trajectories of urban growth in Asansol City during 1991–2021, using integrated remote sensing and GIS-based techniques. Landsat 5 TM and 8 OLI/TIRS satellite imageries were used to delineate built-up and non-built-up areas using a random forest machine-learning algorithm. The study utilized the gradient approach, urban sprawl typologies, urban expansion indices, shannon’s entropy, and landscape fragmentation metrics to analyze the pattern, direction, intensity and dynamics of urban expansion in a space-time context. The findings showed that built-up growth increased significantly from 25.49 sq. km. to 57.18 sq. km. between 1991 and 2021, with the highest growth observed in the westward direction and within 3 km from the CBD. The study highlighted the prevalence of edge expansion and scatter development as dominant typologies of urban growth. Urban expansion indices, shannon's entropy and landscape fragmentation metrics analysis revealed the increasing urban sprawl towards the periphery and the formation of clustered built-up areas near the CBD. The outcomes of this study provide a basis for sustainable urban development by quantifying spatio-temporal trajectories and highlighting challenges from unrestrained growth of Asansol municipal corporation.

Spatial Assessment of Urban Heat Island (UHI) in Kütahya using Landsat-8 Satellite Data

The Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect refers to the phenomenon where urban areas experience significantly higher temperatures than their rural surroundings due to human activities and modifications, such as replacing natural land cover with impervious surfaces, reducing vegetation, and increasing heat-absorbing materials. Kütahya central district has a dense population and building layout, which contributes to the intense UHI. Geographic Information System (GIS) and its tools are widely used in assessing UHI in urban areas, providing insights for both researchers and local authorities. Landsat-8 images acquired on August 8, 2023 (Path: 179, Row: 33, Cloud Cover: 0%) were utilized to create the Urban Heat Island (UHI) map for the study area. Through spatial analysis using Landsat-8 data for Kütahya city center, six different classes were defined, with the UHI map created using land surface temperature values. The highest and lowest UHI values vary between 4.245°C and -3.457°C. It has been observed that the average UHI increases by 12% in areas lacking dense building structures, characterized by rock surfaces and limited green areas. Conversely, in areas with parks, forests, and sparse settlements, the UHI decreases by 10%. With this study, a comprehensive evaluation of UHI was conducted for Kütahya city center. While the results obtained are expected to be an important resource for researchers and local authorities, they are also anticipated to be beneficial in the fields of engineering geology, urban geology, and urban planning.

Moving at the Speed of Business: A Possible Path to First Nation Prosperity Starts with Efficiency

First Nation economic self-determination strategies are constrained by high investment facilitation transaction costs and high jurisdictional implementation switching costs. This paper summarizes a First Nation-led strategy to overcome these constraints. This strategy, which began 55 years ago, uses federal legislation such as the First Nations Fiscal Management Act (FMA) and the Framework Agreement on First Nations Land Management (FA). It is supported by First Nation institutions such as the First Nations Tax Commission, First Nations Financial Management Board, First Nations Land Management Resource Centre, First Nations Finance Authority, and the newly established First Nations Infrastructure Institute. Preliminary observations suggest the FMA-FA strategy has successfully reduced transaction and switching costs on First Nation lands and could accelerate economic self-determination for interested First Nations.

Soil carbon sequestration potential of different land use systems: evidence from sub-humid southern plains and Aravalli hills of Rajasthan, India.

This study has assessed total soil organic carbon (TOC) fractions, carbon management index (CMI), and carbon sequestration economic value under diverse land use systems (LUSs) of sub-humid Southern plains of Rajasthan, India. The study dealt with six LUSs: barren land (BL), agricultural land (AL), agri-horticulture (AH), horticultural land (HL), grassland (GL), and natural forest land (FL) were selected for the study. FL contained the highest TOC (13.04 ± 0.74gkg-1), particulate organic carbon (POC) (2.2 ± 0.19gkg-1), mineral-associated organic carbon (MAC) (10.84 ± 0.54gkg-1), and CMI (230.36 ± 4.13), whereas BL had the lowest amount of TOC (3.53 ± 0.4gkg-1), POC (0.47 ± 0.06gkg-1), MAC (3.06 ± 0.32gkg-1), and CMI (54.60 ± 4.2). The impact of LUSs on soil carbon lability index (LI) was minimal in all LUSs except FL exhibited statistically insignificant variations in LI. TOC stock showed the highest decline in BL (71.04%), AL (55.29%), AH (44.38%), and HL (25.92%) uses compared with the FL system. Different LUSs result in varying amounts of carbon stocks, representing the relative carbon credit gain. The maximum carbon credit was achieved by FL, which was roughly US $49,303 and 245% higher than BL. These results indicate the reinstatement of BL and AL towards HL and AH systems, and effective recycling of residues could improve the TOC storage in the study region.

Bifurcated Bolivia: Indigenous Governance and Land Struggles in the Eastern Lowlands

This paper analyzes Indigenous politics in Bolivia, the 2019 coup against President Evo Morales, and the return of the Movimiento al Socialismo (Movement for Socialism, MAS) with the inauguration of Luis Arce in 2020. Drawing on interviews with Indigenous community members in the lowlands of the Bolivian Amazon, this piece theoretically situates Indigenous autonomy struggles within world systems theory and insights from Max Weber’s ‘iron cage’ of institutional isomorphism to argue that political tensions in Bolivian Indigenous communities can be understood within a context of (1) increasingly strained relations between the MAS and civil society organizations; (2) Indigenous-NGO coalition efforts to protect Tierras Comunitarias de Orígen (Native Community Lands) and; (3) the development of competing parallel leadership organizations within Native communities that threaten democratic processes and cohesive responses to extractivism.

Endangered Commons? Modeling the Effects of Demographic Trends Coupled with Admission Rules to Common Property Institutions

This study investigates the long-term effects of demographic trends and admission rules on common properties in the Province of Trento, Italy, which we refer to as historical commons. Historical commons have evolved into socio-ecological systems over the centuries, meaning that communities governed collectively natural resources and lands essential for community survival. Communities and the admission rules that determine their composition are an important constituting element of historical commons because they have developed local ecological knowledge and practices of sustainable use of natural resources. Our study hypothesizes that commons continuity is endangered because of the declining trend of the size of communities being influenced by demographic trends coupled with admission rules. Grounding our research in systems dynamics, we use empirical data including demographic projections and existing admission rules to simulate their effect on the site of the community using the Province of Trento, Italy, as our study region. To achieve that, three types of historical commons are identified: open, semi-open, and closed, each with different admission criteria based on inheritance and/or residency. Results indicate that inheritance-based admission rules can significantly reduce the number of commoners over time, potentially endangering the continuity of these self-governance institutions. The study discusses the results in light of the literature on historical commons’ continuity to evaluate different policies affecting the size of the community grounding on different mental models. The study concludes that a simulation approach can promote an anticipatory approach to the co-design of policies to ensure inclusive continuity of historical commons.

Assessment of Fine-Scale Urban Heat Health Risk and Its Potential Driving Factors Based on Local Climate Zones in Shenzhen, China

Cities are facing increased heat-related health risks (HHRs) due to the combined effects of global warming and rapid urbanization. However, few studies have focused on HHR assessment based on fine-scale information. Moreover, most studies only analyze spatial HHR patterns and do not explore the potential driving factors. In this study, we estimated the potential HHRs based on the “hazard–exposure–vulnerability” framework by using multisource data, including the modified thermal–humidity index (MTHI), population density, and land cover. Then, the variations in the HHRs among different local climate zones (LCZs) at the fine spatial scale were analyzed in detail. Finally, we compared the different contributions of the LCZs and types of land cover to the HHRs and their three components by using multiple linear regression models. The results indicate that the spatial pattern of the HHRs was different from those of the individual components, and high-hazard regions do not mean high HHRs. There were huge variations in the HHRs among the different LCZs. The built-up LCZs typically had much higher HHRs than the natural ones, with compact LCZs facing the most severe risk. LCZ 6 (open low-rise buildings) had a relatively low HHR and should be paid more attention in future urban planning. Compared to the LCZs, the land covers better explained the variations in the HHR. In contrast, the LCZs better predicted the land surface temperatures. However, both the LCZs and land covers made only slight contributions to the heat exposure and vulnerability. Furthermore, the manmade buildings and impervious surface areas contributed much more to the HHR than the natural land covers. Therefore, the arrangement of the warming LCZs and land cover types is worthy of further investigation from the perspective of HHR mitigation.

Historical expansion of tea plantations over 150years (1876-2023) in North Bengal, India.

The Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze agroforestry system has been a dominant driver of land transformation for over a century. However, most previous studies have not captured the dynamics of tea plantations since their inception. To address this research gap, this study investigates 150years (1876 to 2023) of tea area dynamics and two decades (2001-2022) of tree loss in the Bengal-Dooars region (Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar districts). Various data sources were employed, including Sentinel-2A imagery (10m), early twentieth century topographic maps at a 1:50,000 scale, and historical records from the British colonial period. Results revealed that the tea area expanded from 331 to 95,800ha (a 70% increase) during the study period. The 1-km grid-wise spatial analysis indicated that approximately 70% of the increase was attributed to the 60-90% and > 90% grid categories, signifying the expansion of large tea estates. Most tea gardens(TG) are sustained with trees, which can significantly contribute to carbon stock. Tree loss within and outside TG for 2001-2022 was analyzed using annual tree loss data at 30m from the Global Forest Watch (GFW) platform. Between 2001 and 2022, about 52.7% of tree loss was attributed to TG, although tea covers only 15.3% of the geographic area of the study region. Our findings highlight the historical expansion of tea plantations and their impact on natural land cover. We suggest that future studies address the mean age of TG along with tree fractions for improved carbon estimates.

Non‐native invasive plants in tropical dry forests: a global review of presence, impacts, and management

Tropical dry forests (TDF) are among the most‐threatened terrestrial ecosystems, experiencing ongoing conversion to agricultural fields, pasture, and human settlements. Human disturbances are often precursors to invasion of ecosystems by non‐native species, but research on invasion patterns in tropical ecosystems is sparse, and there is no comprehensive synthesis of invasive species in TDF. We conducted a review of published scientific literature to catalog and synthesize information about invasion by non‐native plants in TDF ecosystems across the globe, drawing out patterns in the invasion of these ecosystems. We found that 130 invasive plant species were documented as present in TDF, but only 25 of these species were mentioned in three or more articles. Almost all 25 of these more‐studied invasive species—mostly pasture grasses, woody legumes, and climbers—have been intentionally cultivated for agricultural or ornamental purposes. Many of these plants are native to open‐canopy savanna or forest edge habitats and benefit from human‐altered disturbance regimes (burning, grazing, and fuelwood and timber harvesting) of TDF fragments within agricultural landscapes. Field studies show that management approaches incorporating invasive removal, native plantings, and reduction in agricultural disturbance (e.g. ungulate fencing and fire control) simultaneously are often the most successful at reducing invasive plant cover. However, management studies in TDF have focused on a limited number of invasive species, and most were conducted in India and Hawaii. Global differences in TDF soils, natural fire regimes, and historic and current land use by humans influence modern biogeographic patterns of invasion and the feasibility of restoration options.

National archetypes in the master’s biography (the case study of «Veselka», the symphony fantasy by Viktor Telychko)

The thesis objective is to identify the key national archetypes that are crucial for a creative personality’s lifelong creativity; to reveal the specifics of their explication in «Veselka», Viktor Telychko’s symphonic fantasy. The research methodology is based on the complex approach and embraces a number of the following methods: biographical – by involving the key events of the master’s being; culture studies – by characterizing civilizational impacts reflected in the master’s conscience; semiotic – by interpreting ancient symbols implemented by the suggested artistic sample; music studies – by considering the genre and style-forming parameters of the opus; analytical – by working on the body of research related to the aforementioned problematic field; systemic – by comprehensive view on the research subject; theoretic generalization – by summarizing the thesis results. Science novelty. For the first time ever, the dominant national archetypes of a master’s chronicle were identified, and their manifestation was revealed within an artistic artefact. Conclusions. An archetype is an unconscious fundamental scheme of notions, signs and symbols common for the whole humanity. For Ukrainian culture, the following ones are critical: home, Motherland, parents, land, temple, light, etc. Most of them are represented by the biographies of prominent masters. The composer’s practice by Viktor Telychko broadcasts the phenomena under consideration through folklore, which is a constituent of his opuses. In «Veselka» symphony fantasy, they appear as a content element able to represent significant information about the Ukrainians’ mentality and the author’s ontological strategy. The dominant ancient images of the artwork are as follows: Motherland revealed through the author’s connection with the native location and quoting on Zakarpattia’s songs; the native land that means life, wisdom, spiritual power, appeal to the native location; father embodying peace, calmness, emotional support; the circle that represents eternity, rebirth, aspiring after self-perfection for the evolution of the native land. The manifestation, which is the structure of a music sample similar to a cyclic motion; the teacher who reveals the issue of guidance appealing to the artistic heritage of the prominent masters of the region; the main character who reflects striving for eternal ideals characteristic of Victor Telychko and is interpreted via high-hearted and persistent intonations; love that celebrates deep lyrical and poetic feelings and appears as the mental basis of Ukrainian sensuality. The masterpiece is united by the spiritual light archetype (the rainbow) that manifests hope and joy.

Missing the biodiversity for the bee: Natural land management strategies impact functional invertebrate diversity in commercial cranberry production

Abstract Simplification of agricultural environments is linked to declines in biodiversity. Improving the floral diversity within and around these areas may result in more robust and diverse ecosystems. We investigated how floral resource abundance, diversity, and species composition in a cranberry agricultural system correlated to the abundance and overall invertebrate diversity and to the abundance and diversity of specific invertebrate groups of agricultural importance (e.g. parasitoids, phytophagous taxa, pollinators and predators). This study focused on habitats immediately surrounding cranberry production and included grassy dikes under a managed system (‘dike’), and semi‐natural areas growing on the surrounding support land (‘semi‐natural’). Floral resource availability and diversity tended to be similar between habitats, while invertebrate richness, diversity and composition differed. As the availability of floral resources increased, invertebrate abundance increased but diversity decreased. Overall invertebrate community composition differed with the specific species and availability of floral resources. The habitat type and floral resource composition impacted some agriculturally important groups, as pollinator abundance was higher in the semi‐natural habitat, and parasitoid abundance varied with floral resource composition across both habitats. These results suggest that managing the structural and floral resource diversity associated with agroecosystems can help support local biodiversity. However, these systems may disproportionately benefit more common taxonomic groups. The difference in responses of individual taxonomic groups also highlights the potential tradeoffs of focusing on only a subset of biodiversity aspects.

Значение категории «земля» как отправная точка правового регулирования

The legally established meaning of land is the starting point not only for land law, but also for public policy in general. The modern meaning of land covers three aspects: land as a natural object, land as a natural resource and land as a real estate object. Ways to improve land legislation from the point of view of specifying the meaning of land are seen in ensuring the rational use and protection of land, the priority of protecting human life and health when making decisions on the use of land, and the participation of citizens in resolving issues related to the use of land in their place of residence. It is proposed to expand the meaning of land in the future by recognizing the emotional and moral connection of a person with the land as a value subject to protection, as well as regulating the rights of future generations in relation to the land.

Perlindungan terhadap Masyarakat Hukum Adat di Atas Tanah Ulayat dalam Sistem Hukum Pertanahan

One form of wealth for the Indonesian nation is that the existence of Indigenous Law Communities (MHA) are recognized and respected as The rights of the MHA to natural resources, land, and forests have not been clearly regulated in a single legislation, but the MHA's control over customary forests is evident. Several customary forests in Kerinci Regency have been officially designated as customary forests based on the Decree of the Minister of Environment. The control of customary forests requires the recognition and affirmation of the MHA through Regional Regulations based on Law Number 41 of 1999 concerning Forestry. However, the Kerinci MHA, as the rightful owners of customary forests, have not yet received protection and recognition through Regional Regulations, which could threaten their sustainability. The research method used is empirical juridical. The research results show that customary forests in Kerinci Regency have been designated as customary forest areas or rights forests as stated in the Ministerial Decree, which recognizes the existence of the MHA as the rightful owners based on the Decree of the Regent of Kerinci. Although the Regent's Decree does not provide adequate explanations about the status, structure, and customary institutions managing the customary forests, it indirectly acknowledges the existence of the MHA entitled to the customary forests. Meanwhile, regulations on customary forest management should also be adjusted to facilitate protection mechanisms for the MHA. As the region with the most customary forests in Jambi Province, it is hoped that the Kerinci Regency Government can draft Regional Regulations concerning Indigenous Law Communities so that customary forests can be preserved and sustained for future generations.