Empowered lives. Resilient nations. KOMUNITAS ADAT MUARA TAE Indonesia Equator Initiative Case Studies Local sustainable development solutions for people, nature, and resilient communities UNDP EQUATOR INITIATIVE CASE STUDY SERIES Local and indigenous communities across the world are 126 countries, the winners were recognized for their advancing innovative sustainable development solutions achievements at a prize ceremony held in conjunction that work for people and for nature. Few publications with the United Nations Convention on Climate Change or case studies tell the full story of how such initiatives (COP21) in Paris. Special emphasis was placed on the evolve, the breadth of their impacts, or how they change protection, restoration, and sustainable management over time. Fewer still have undertaken to tell these stories of forests; securing and protecting rights to communal with community practitioners themselves guiding the lands, territories, and natural resources; community- narrative. The Equator Initiative aims to fill that gap. based adaptation to climate change; and activism for The Equator Initiative, supported by generous funding environmental justice. The following case study is one in from the Government of Norway, awarded the Equator a growing series that describes vetted and peer-reviewed Prize 2015 to 21 outstanding local community and best practices intended to inspire the policy dialogue indigenous peoples initiatives to reduce poverty, protect needed to take local success to scale, to improve the global nature, and strengthen resilience in the face of climate knowledge base on local environment and development change. Selected from 1,461 nominations from across solutions, and to serve as models for replication. PROJECT SUMMARY KEY FACTS Komunitas Adat Muara Tae (Indigenous Community Equator Prize Winner of Muara Tae) is a community of Dayak Benuaq 2015 Ohokng Sangokng people in Kalimantan, Indonesia, fighting for the protection of their customary forests, Founded which have been reduced from their original 11,000 hectares to only 4,000 hectares due to illegal clear- 1993 cutting by palm oil, mining, and logging companies. Location Through community mapping, demarcation of their traditional territory, and advocacy with government Muara Tae Village, East Kalimantan and industries, the group is working to achieve legal recognition of their land rights. They have replanted Beneficiaries more than 700 hectares of forest with traditional wood Approximately 2,500 people and fruit trees that are becoming increasingly rare due to land clearing for extractive industries. In addition to Areas of focus work to restore and protect their natural resources, this Protection, restoration and sustainable management collaborative initiative seeks to maintain, safeguard, of forests; sustainable agriculture and food security; and preserve Dayak culture. Komunitas Adat Muara protecting and securing rights to communal lands, Tae is a model of peaceful community resistance for territories and natural resources; and advocating for and forest protection – one community fighting with ensuring the effective implementation of Free, Prior and dignity for their survival. Informed Consent (FPIC) Sustainable Development Goals addressed 110° 120° PROVINCES OF INDONESIA INDONESIA 1. ACEH 16. KALIMANTAN TIMUR LAO 2. BALI 17. LAMPUNG THAILAND P.D.R. 3. BANGKA-BELITUNG 18. MALUKU 4. BANTEN 19. MALUKU UTARA 5. BENGKULU 20. NUSA TENGGARA BARAT A Bangkok VIET NAM Manila N 6. GORONTALO 21. NUSA TENGGARA TIMUR D CAMBODIA PHILIPPINES 7. IRIAN JAYA 22. RIAU A 8. JAKARTA 23. SULAWESI SELATAN G Phnom Penh M 9. JAMBI 24. SULAWESI TENGAH u l A f 10. JAWA BARAT 25. SULAWESI TENGGARA o N f 11. JAWA TENGAH 26. SULAWESI UTARA T SOUTH CHINA 10° h 12. JAWA TIMUR 27. SUMATERA BARAT S a i E la SEA 13. KALIMANTAN BARAT 28. SUMATERA SELATAN nd A SULU SEA 14. KALIMANTAN SELATAN 29. SUMATERA UTARA 15. KALIMANTAN TENGAH 30. YOGYAKARTA Banda Aceh BRUNEI DARUSSALAM S t r Bandar Seri Begawan a Kepulauan 1 it MALAYSIA Natuna Talaud Langsa Besar CELEBES Medan o f Sangihe P A CIFIC OCEAN Kuala Lumpur M MALAYSIA Tebingtinggi a SEA A la 26 E Simeulue c Borneo Tanjungredep S Morotai c a Padangsidempuan SINGAPORE A Manado 22 Kepulauan 16 C Nias 29 Riau 6 C Halmahera Pekanbaru U Equator Kepulauan G M Ternate Waigeo Payakumbuh Kalimantan L 0° Samarinda t 0° Sumatra Lingga Teluk Tomini o i r O Pontianak o 13 a Palu 24 n Manokwari r ta Biak Padang Selat t lo M B S a o 15 19 ca ti Sorong Bangka Kartimata Peleng n a Biak Jambi law Balikpapan Sa Yapen Siberut 27 9 Palangkaraya Sulawesi Pangkalpinang r Obi Misool Teluk a Sungaipenuh s (Celebes) Kepulauan Cenderawasih Jayapura a 3 s l C E R pur 28 14 Sula A M i S ra Billiton a S E a k P 23 T ai Ut n Palembang Ceram A g a a e Pa at Greater APU el l Buru u agai S n M Pare Pare u Wamena P u asi Laut k Kendari l Lahat Banjarm u B k o 7 g Sunda Islands n Ambon A NEW GUINEA en e 25 B 5 Kotabumi J A c 18 New V A M Timika Enggano 17 Bandar Lampung S E A Guinea u Buton c 8 11 n da Jakarta ya Ujungpandang a Sun ba Kepulauan Selat ra BALI SEA Selajar B ANDA SEA g Semarang u Madura Kangean a Aru 4 an S er g S n Selat Madura Wetar s u 10 A Kepulauan lo Babar dd 12 2 Sumbawa r Dolak an Java Flores Dili Tanimbar B ta 30 National capital r r Merauke a i k a l k 21 TIMOR-LESTE a s a o m 20 SAVU SEA gy b Provincial capital Yo a B a p m r Lesser Sunda Islands Timor ARAFURA SEA 10° n o a 10° e L t Town, village Christmas I. D a Sumba (AUSTRALIA) M Sawu Kupang International boundary Roti TIMOR SEA Provincial boundary Ashmore Is. (AUSTRALIA) INDIAN OCEAN Cartier I. Darwin Main road (AUSTRALIA) Gulf of Secondary road INDONESIACarpentaria Railroad 0 250 500 750 km The boundaries and names shown and the designations Major airport used on this map do not imply official endorsement or 0 250 500 mi acceptance by the United Nations. AUSTRALIA 100° 110° 120° 130° 140° Map No. 4110 Rev. 4 UNITED NATIONS Department of Peacekeeping Operations January 2004 Cartographic Section EQUATOR PRIZE 2015 WINNER FILM The depiction and use of boundaries and related information shown on maps or included within in text of this document are not guaranteed to be free from error, nor do they imply official acceptance or recognition by the United Nations. BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT Located in Indonesia’s East Kalimantan Province, the Solai mountains. Within this diverse ecosystem, the Dayak Benuaq Ohokng Sangokng community of Muara majority of the Dayak Benuaq population relies on farming Tae, with a population of approximately 2,500 people, are and gardening, hunting, collecting forest products such engaged in a fight against mining and palm oil companies as rattan and fruits, and the production of traditional encroaching on their indigenous territory. The Dayak handicrafts. depend on the forest socially, culturally, and economically as the material and spiritual foundation for their food Decades of land tenure and use conflicts with private security, health, and cultural survival. companies, the government, and even the neighbouring Muara Ponak village. In 1971, the Indonesian government The dense and diverse natural forests of Muara Tae are awarded the PT Sumber Mas timber company a concession home to a large number of bird species, including several for the ancestral territory of the Muara Tae community, species of hornbills that have close ties with the culture leading to an influx of enterprises. In recent years, and tradition of Dayak ethnicity. Approximately 20 reptile companies focused on clearing the land for the production species inhabit the area, as well as the vulnerable sun of palm oil have been most prominent. Conflicts with the bear (Helarctos malayanus) and the endangered kahau neighbouring village of Muara Ponak, with a population (Nasalis larvatus) along with a variety of herbal plants of roughly 300, compound conflicts with the government for medicine and traditional rites, such as yellow-fruit and corporate actors. The people of Muara Tae believe moonseed (Arcangelisia flava) and valuable timber types that part of their territory has been tilled for generations endemic to Kalimantan such as the Borneo ironwood illegally by the Muara Ponak community, and has now (Eusideroxylon zwageri), the vulnerable eaglewood been released to corporate actors without consultation. (Aquilaria malaccensis), and the merantis (Shorea spp.). These species inhabit the plains, rugged hills, and marshy Komunitas Adat Muara Tae is now safeguarding the last swamps of the Dayak people’s customary lands. 4,000 hectares of their original 11,000 hectares of land against illegal clear-cutting by palm oil corporations The population of Muara Tae is regulated by the customary through community mapping, posting signs that mark law of the Dayak Benuaq. The traditional boundaries of their traditional territory, and fighting for legal recognition their territory are the Nayan River and its tributaries and of indigenous peoples’ land rights in Indonesia in the Benuang, Menaliq, Tetabekng, Perduat and Saikng governmental and private sectors. 4 Origin and structure Komunitas was founded in 1993 to foster cooperation The village governance structure includes: between traditional community groups striving to maintain, safeguard, and preserve the culture and natural ■ A village head, assisted by four team members – a clerk, resources within the customary forest area of Muara Tae. the head of public affairs, the head of government The movement was built around the community’s desire affairs and the head of business development – and to protect their customary land from incursions. Over the four neighbourhood chairmen. years, the group has evolved to also focus on improving ■ A village council, composed of a chairman, a deputy the standard of living of their traditional community, chairman, a secretary, and two general members.