BRWA: 1,119 Registered Customary Territories Covering 20.7 Million Hectares

The Indigenous Customary Territory Registration Agency (BRWA) has released the latest data on the status of customary territory recognition in Indonesia. As of August 9, 2022, 1,119 customary territory maps, totaling 20.7 million hectares (ha), have been registered with the BRWA.

For information, BRWA is the institution responsible for registering customary territories. These customary territory maps are spread across 29 provinces in 142 regencies/cities.

Based on the registration status in BRWA, there are 47 customary territory maps that have been certified, covering an area of 634,220 ha. 144 customary territory maps have been verified, covering 3.01 million ha; 923 customary territory maps have been registered, covering 17.07 million ha; and 5 customary territory maps are recorded, covering 74,260 ha.

Article 1, paragraph 23 of the Minister of Environment and Forestry Regulation Number 9 of 2021 concerning Social Forestry Management states:

“Customary territory is customary land consisting of land, water, and/or waters, along with the natural resources above it, with specific boundaries, owned, utilized, and conserved generationally and sustainably to meet the livelihood needs of the community, obtained through inheritance from their ancestors or claims of ownership in the form of customary land or customary forest.”

According to the status of customary territory recognition (as of August 9, 2022):

* Designated: 189 maps
* Regulated: 688 maps
* None: 242 maps
* Total: 1,119 maps