Indonesia: Government REDD+ agency says collective land rights are key to curbing climate change

In an article published in the Jakarta Post, senior officials of the Indonesian REDD+ Agency (the government body charged with reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation) argue that recognising the collective land rights of forest peoples is key to curbing climate change and promoting sustainable use of natural resources.

Responding to appeals made at the UN meeting on climate change held in Lima, Peru, in December, the officials note that although it is now two years since the Indonesian Constitutional Court recognised that national forest laws need to be changed to ensure effective recognition of customary land rights in forests, no ‘clear official pathway’ has yet been agreed to achieve this.

The article announces that new efforts will now be made, first to recognise customary rights and then to build local management capacity. While pilot efforts are being made at provincial levels to map and recognise community lands, new laws and procedures are still needed at the national level to title and secure them.   

To read the article please click here.