Monika’s advocacy underscores an essential role of Indigenous communities as biodiversity guardians who need government support. Unfortunately, policies supporting biodiversity protection and management by Indigenous communities have yet to produce tangible impacts.
"Indonesia’s two key biodiversity protection policies—Presidential Instruction No. 1 of 2023 and Law No. 32 of 2024—are still not meeting Indigenous communities' needs and rights. The Presidential Instruction lacks legal-binding authority, which is why a Presidential Regulation would be a stronger instrument," said Bimantara, a researcher at Perkumpulan HuMA Indonesia.
"In the future, it would also be beneficial to revise these policies to align with the structure and responsibilities for biodiversity policy after the new administration takes office," he added.
In addition to their critical role in biodiversity preservation, Indigenous communities are highly vulnerable to the direct impacts of climate change. "Government policies on biodiversity, such as IBSAP (Indonesian Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan) and climate commitments like the NDC (Nationally Determined Contribution), must respect and protect Indigenous Communities’ rights," said Salma Zakiyah, Program Officer for Forest and Climate at MADANI Berkelanjutan.
History has clearly shown that it is the Indigenous communities who have safeguarded biodiversity in the Aru Islands. Thus, recognizing their contributions to biodiversity protection in their territories is well deserved.
"There is no excuse to ignore the existence of Indigenous communities and their contributions to natural resource protection," concluded Ogy Dwi Aulia of Forest Watch Indonesia. (pra)
Tag
.jpg)
