By Rukka Sombolinggi (AMAN) and Joan Carling (IPRI)
Indonesia is home to one of the most biodiverse forests on Earth, and for generations, Indigenous Peoples have been their most steadfast guardians. According to the Indigenous Peoples Alliance of the Archipelago—the Aliansi Masyarakat Adat Nusantara, there are around 80 to 100 million Indigenous Peoples, about 40% of the national population. Across Papua, Maluku, Sulawesi, Kalimantan, Jawa, Nusa Tenggara, Java, communities have protected forests through customary laws, spiritual practices, and collective care—forests that remain sources of food, medicine, and cultural life. The Dayak Iban of Sungai Utik in West Kalimantan patrol their forests and enforce community zoning, winning recognition of their hutan adat in 2020. The Ammatoa Kajang of South Sulawesi uphold strict customary rules under Pasang ri Kajang (oral tradition in doing conservation), while the Kasepuhan Karang in Banten have integrated women and youth into governance since their recognition in 2016. In Papua, the Moi and Awyu Peoples fought mega-plantation permits in court, securing the Supreme Court’s 2025 decision to cancel parts of the Tanah Merah project, while alliances in the Aru Islands stopped vast agribusiness plans.
These victories show the power of Indigenous-led conservation, but threats are escalating. Nickel mining for the “green energy transition” is driving new dispossession. In Raja Ampat, the “Amazon of the Seas,” the government revoked four mining permits in June 2025—yet one remains, and other islands in Papua and Maluku are at risk. On Gebe Island, seven concessions disrupted food systems and polluted fisheries. In North Maluku, the Weda Bay Industrial Park has caused deforestation and contamination. The Bajau of Kabaena lost fishing and seaweed farming, while in Halmahera, the uncontacted O’ Hongana Manyawa face existential threats as mining advances over 40% of their territory. Indigenous Peoples are not opponents of development. We are protectors of forests, biodiversity and cultures.
Even renewable energy projects can be destructive. In Flores, geothermal development threatened sacred sites and forests. Communities protested despite intimidation and criminalization, and KFW who funded the project suspended their support for further investigation—showing once again that Indigenous resistance can prevail.
Palm oil and mega-infrastructure add further pressure. The Dayak Tomun in Kinipan continue to resist plantations while their leaders are criminalized. In East Kalimantan, the Balik people face displacement from IKN, the new capital project. However, recognition remains painfully slow– by mid-2025, only close to 400,000 hectares of Indigenous forests had been returned—just a fraction of the 30.1 million hectares mapped by Indigenous Peoples. In 2024 alone, 121 land conflict cases affected 2.8 million hectares, while over the past decade, 687 conflicts involved 11,7 million hectares, with nearly a thousand Indigenous leaders criminalized.
The criminalization of defenders is now routine. Leaders are arrested, sued, and harassed, while women and youth carry heavy burdens of violence and disruption. Between 2019 and 2024, there were 454 attacks on 1,262 human rights defenders, many of them are from Indigenous communities. The Indigenous Peoples Rights International- IPRI continues to denounce attacks to indigenous human rights defenders and provides legal and sanctuary support to those at risk while demanding accountability to perpetrators of human rights violations
This alarming situation demands urgent actions. Indonesia must fast-track the legal recognition of Indigenous Peoples, including the rights to customary forests as affirmed by the Constitution and Constitutional Court decision 35/2012, and clear the backlog of Indigenous land maps. The long-delayed Indigenous Peoples Bill, stalled since 2013 but now on the 2025 legislative agenda, must be passed to secure rights, ensure Free, Prior and Informed Consent, and protect communities from dispossession. The weakened environmental permitting under the Job Creation Law must be reformed to restore accountability and participation. Just as urgently, defenders must be safeguarded with anti-SLAPP provisions, rapid legal aid, and accountability for abuses.
Finally, Indigenous organizations need direct financing. Communities like the Dayak Iban, Ammatoa Kajang, and Awyu have proven Indigenous Peoples can protect forests and biodiversity more effectively than external actors and they deserved to be resourced. Indigenous Peoples are not asking for charity, we are demanding recognition of our rights and contributions. Protecting Indigenous rights is not only a matter of justice—it is the most effective strategy we have to safeguard Indonesia’s forests, our humanity and the planet’s future.
By:
Rukka Sombolinggi is the first woman to serve as Secretary General of AMAN (Aliansi Masyarakat Adat Nusantara), Indonesia’s Indigenous Peoples Alliance of the Archipelago. She represents more than 2,000 Indigenous communities, advocating for land rights, environmental protection, and cultural survival.
Rukka has been deeply involved in Indigenous movements since the 1990s, shaping national and global agendas. She is recognized for her leadership in pushing for the Indigenous Peoples Bill in Indonesia’s parliament.
Her work connects grassroots struggles with international advocacy on climate change and biodiversity. A Toraja woman from Sulawesi, she embodies the strength of Indigenous women leading transformative change.
Joan Carling is an indigenous activist from the Cordillera with more than 20 years of working on indigenous issues from the grassroots to the international level. Her expertise includes areas like human rights, sustainable development, the environment, climate change, and additionally, the application of Free, Prior and Informed Consent.
She was the General Secretary of the Asia Indigenous People Pact (AIPP) From September 2008 to December 2016. She was appointed as an indigenous expert of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (2014-2016) by the United Nations Economic and Social Council. She was awarded the Champions of the Earth Lifetime time Achievement award by UN Environment. In 2024, Joan was honoured with the Right Livelihood Award for raising Indigenous voices in the face of the global ecological breakdown and her leadership in defending people, lands and culture. She is the Executive Director and cofounder of IPRI.
Through her leadership, Carling has stopped unsustainable development projects in the Philippines, secured funding and international backing for Indigenous organisations across Asia, and helped shape UN policies on Indigenous women’s rights and businesses’ responsibilities to respect Indigenous Peoples’ rights.
