1,2 Million ha of 5 tribes Maps were Produced in West Papua Province – Indonesia

The new compilation of customary boundary in West Papua Province shows that about 1,2 million ha of customary areas belong to 5 tribes have been mapped. This was produced in the period of 2010 – 2015 facilitated by CSO/NGO, customary community groups in West Papua Province and The Samdhana Institute. As shown in the map below, 4 of 5 tribes are in bird heads consist of Moi Kelim, Miyah, Abun and Knasaimos while Madewana is in south east Bomberai Peninsula. Overall these 5 tribe areas cover 12% of total administrative boundary of the province which about 9.7 million ha according to Spatial Plan. Provincial document of strategic environmental assessment noted that there are 67 indigenous tribes in the province that have strong customary right over the land and resources on it. Which means there are a lot of works remain to do. Recently some other advance mapping were conducted in other region applying indicative approaches such as South Manokwari, Fak-Fak and Maybrat districts. Which these 3 district covers almost 10 tribes.

Samdhana and partners acknowledged this as a good momentum to moving forwards on reform agenda of land use regulation and natural management arrangement in the province that should clearly determine and secure the position of Indigenous People. Customary boundary mapping has been acknowledging as strategic tools to bring the back trusts and dignity ways of social friendly natural resources governance in this eastern island of Indonesia. The clarity of tenure/land right and access to resources are also the vehicles to helps government reaches their poverty alleviation targets and social justice in Papua. The maps and all the approaches been applying should be packaging to be mainstreamed into governance land uses and forest development agenda.

Experiences from South Sorong and Kaimana where the communities have moved with their forests resources management agenda has pointing out how mapping is crucial tools to bring customary community to contribute in the development agenda. Next step to taking are bring this maps to legally recognized and keeps working with the Government to set up a system in which it is administratively accepted and be used as land uses development plan and implementation reference. Big and long history of natural resources conflict because of the not clear benefit sharing arrangement and legal justification for Papuan IPs to claim the benefit from their rights are now open to find the new ways of natural resources management governance within clear right claim.

Expanding mapping works to help other tribes and clan secure their rights and bring the management vision should be realized by all actor. It is crucial to step out from the risks that highlighted by NGO/CSO Land Right Care Coalition that the land uses and forests development plan are deploy customary community aside rather than big cooperation needs to extract natural resources. The 1,2 million ha of 5 tribes map are a momentum to reflects and repackaging the ways forward to helps customary community in Papua addressing their needs in legal clarity and certainty of rights and access to resources within their rights.