New Policy Developments on Customary Forests in Indonesia

October 20, 12:00pm - 1:00pm
Mānoa Campus, 1601 East-West Road, Burns Hall, room 2012

Land and resource management conflicts are increasingly common consequences of large-scale development or infrastructure projects, forest, plantations, and mining concessions, as well as biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation efforts. Given the social and economic cost of these conflicts, stakeholders – private companies, governments, civil society organizations, and communities – are seeking new approaches to resolve (and prevent) these conflicts. Indonesia, in particular, has drawn much attention because it is experiencing one of the highest rates of deforestation and land use change in the world. Efforts at environmental conservation and climate change mitigation, and more recently, national regulations conceding new rights to indigenous communities have provided a new platform for contesting land use change in Indonesia. This presentation focuses on the Kajang of Bulukumba, South Sulawesi, where recognition of indigenous land rights for customary forests has created new opportunities for formulating regulations to manage forests locally, in a region with a deep history of conflict over land use.

Support for this project was facilitated by the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) AgFor project and a scholarship from the Ann Dunham Soetoro Endowment Fund.

Micah Fisher is an East-West Center Graduate Degree Fellow and is pursuing his PhD in the Geography Department at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, where he also got a master’s in Urban and Regional Planning. His research interests are focused on the dynamics of land-use change and participatory planning, with a geographic interest in Indonesia. Before moving to Hawaii, Micah worked for the USDA Forest Service on international cooperation regarding climate change and regional planning. Micah also worked four years with the World Bank in Indonesia on urban infrastructure projects, water resource management, marine conservation planning, and disaster management efforts.


Event Sponsor
East-West Center, Mānoa Campus

More Information
Mary Hammond, 944-7766, hammondm@eastwestcenter.org, http://www.eastwestcenter.org/events/out-the-lion%E2%80%99s-den-the-crocodile%E2%80%99s-jaw-new-poli, Micah Fisher EWC Student Presentation (PDF)

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