Indonesia has the third largest area of tropical forests in the world, yet the burning of hundreds of thousands of hectares of forest for palm oil and mining concessions makes it one of the world’s largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. Failure to recognize Indigenous land rights threatens Indigenous communities that depend directly on forests for their livelihoods and fuels climate change. The Indonesian government plans to offer tens of millions of hectares of additional land concessions for pulp and palm oil business in the next decade, which will decimate valued carbon sinks and ignore Indigenous claims to customary territory.
More than one-fifth of the carbon stored in the world’s tropical forests lies in Indigenous territories, and these forests, when legally recognized and protected, tend to store more carbon and experience lower rates of deforestation. AMAN—Aliansi Masyarakat Adat Nusantara or Indigenous Peoples’ Alliance of the Archipelago—reduces deforestation by advocating for policies that support Indigenous People, supporting the sustainable management of Indigenous-held land, and strengthening the cultural identity of Indigenous people in Indonesia.
AMAN is working toward a world in which Indigenous Peoples’ rights and lands are legally recognized and where Indigenous People have a sustainable livelihood and the ability to transmit their traditional knowledge to future generations to preserve culture and combat deforestation and climate change.
Issue Areas: AcademiaArts and CultureEconomic OpportunitySustainable Markets
Countries Served: Indonesia
