The modern history of forests in Indonesia merges with a history of a continuous process of land and resource appropriation by the state at the expense of indigenous forest people, through a fair amount of ideological imperialism and a convenient use of legal and technical instruments as well as a touch of power abuse. From the very beginning of the Indonesian archipelago's history, the forest has represented the only large field for demographic, agricultural, economic, and geopolitical expansion, as well as the major instrument by which to attain wealth and power. While conflicts for forest appropriation or control in the past have occurred predominantly between equivalent groups of forest users and warriors, they presently involve structural opposition between the state and its political or economic elite on the one hand, and local communities on the other. In spite of the important contribution of wood industries to national development, the ecological, economic, and social damages related to forest management in Indonesia can no longer be concealed. Cases of resource exhaustion, violations of local populations' basic rights by forestry projects, and reports of ongoing local resistance are being publicized more and more through the local and national press. However, even though the discourses of policymakers at the highest levels integrate new objectives of social and environmental justice in forest management, forest development and conservation projects are still constrained by laws and regulations that still prevent the recognition of local people's practices and rights. Actual benefits of local utilization and management of forest resources are seldom encompassed in a critical and nonpartisan way. The value of customary systems for controlling local forest management practices is either underestimated or misunderstood. The legal mechanisms for acknowledging local people's rights over forest lands and resources remain dramatically underdeveloped.
Année de publication
2000
Auteurs
Michon G; de Foresta H; Kusworo, A.; Levang H P
Langue
English
Mots clés
agroforestry
Géographique
Indonesia
