Enviro News Asia, Jakarta – The Ministry of Forestry of Indonesia, under the leadership of Minister of Forestry Raja Juli Antoni, affirmed its commitment to the recognition and protection of indigenous peoples’ rights through the designation of Customary Forests.
As of July 2025, a total of 160 Customary Forest units covering nearly 400 thousand hectares have been recognized, directly benefiting 83 thousand households across 41 regencies and 19 provinces.
This recognition is a follow-up to Constitutional Court Decision No. 35/2012, which affirmed that Customary Forests are not part of State Forests.
The policy was strengthened through Government Regulation No. 23 of 2021 on Forestry Implementation and the establishment of the Task Force for the Acceleration of Customary Forest Designation No. 144 of 2025.
“This achievement is the result of synergy between national policies and the support of various parties, including local governments, NGOs, and the indigenous communities themselves. This strengthening provides legal certainty and protection for ancestral territories that have been managed sustainably over generations,” said Minister of Forestry Raja Juli Antoni, Friday (9 August 2025).
From January to July 2025, the designation of Customary Forests reached 70,688 hectares, a significant increase compared to the annual average of 41,563 hectares during the 2016–2024 period.
The Director of Tenurial Conflict and Customary Forest Management at the Ministry of Forestry of Indonesia, Julmansyah, predicted that the 2025 achievement could reach 100 thousand hectares if this positive trend continues until the end of the year.
The Government of Indonesia hopes this step will strengthen the sovereignty of indigenous peoples over forest resources while supporting sustainable environmental management.
This momentum also coincides with the commemoration of the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples on 9 August, serving as a reminder of the importance of cross-sector collaboration in safeguarding the rights of indigenous peoples. (*)
