Enviro News Asia, Garut — Indonesia is strengthening efforts to protect indigenous communities while ensuring that environmental conservation and the rights of local residents are addressed together.
Environment Minister and Head of the Environment Control Agency (KLH/BPLH) Moh Jumhur Hidayat met indigenous leaders and community representatives during the Lawung Lingkung, or Indigenous Community Gathering, in Garut, West Java, on September 30, 2026.
Jumhur said indigenous communities had often been affected by environmental damage caused by parties from outside their local areas.
“Indigenous communities are often victims of environmental damage carried out not by local people, but by newcomers and others,” Jumhur said.
Legal Protection for Local Communities
Jumhur said the central government, through KLH/BPLH, was working to ensure that regulations protect communities that have long lived in and maintained their local environments.
He said new regulations, including agrarian reform provisions, were intended to prevent indigenous and local communities from being displaced from areas they traditionally manage through unilateral claims.
He stressed that ownership claims should not be used to suddenly take control of an area and remove local residents, adding that the government would oversee the implementation of the new legal framework.
Ecosystem Restoration and Local Solutions
KLH/BPLH also has a mandate to ensure that damaged ecosystems are restored by the parties responsible for the damage, including corporations and other actors.
Jumhur said companies responsible for environmental damage must undertake restoration, while the government would also assist communities in addressing environmental problems such as river pollution.
At the local level, the government is preparing practical measures, including waste-management infrastructure along river systems to reduce plastic pollution.
The government is also exploring financing solutions to address wastewater from Garut’s leather-tanning industry, with the aim of maintaining local economic activity without compromising environmental protection.
Jumhur said the government would continue to evaluate and improve environmental regulations to ensure consistent and fair enforcement.
Indigenous Communities Honor Jumhur
At the end of the gathering, Jumhur received the honorary title Sinatria Jaga Riksa Nusantara from representatives of Sundanese indigenous communities.
Representatives came from several indigenous communities, including Urug, Ciptagelar, Ciptamulya, Sirna Resmi, Kampung Mahmud, Cirendeu, Cikondang, Kampung Pulo, Kampung Naga, Akur Cigugur and Dayak Segandu.
The honor recognized efforts associated with protecting the environment and preserving nature, according to the KLH/BPLH statement. (*)
