Special Autonomy, Mapping and Recognition of Land Rights in Papua: Overcoming Threats to the Survival of the Remaining Commons

Abstract

"The paper is based upon a review conducted by Jaringan Kerja Pemetaan Partisipatif (JKPP), a national NGO that provides expertise on participatory mapping. It describes land-use mapping strategies by local communities in western areas of Jayapura. These strategies are typically perceived by local people as civil society mechanisms by which they can organize and build networks and alliances for promoting collective land rights recognition and other natural resources. The most promising reforms to date reflect community aspirations and objectives that aim to encourage active government and business sector participation. The strategies emerged from small scale village mapping exercises and evolved into more large scale initiatives encompassing adat territories including as many as thirty local villages. These broader initiatives were supported by new regulations on Papuan autonomy that encouraged civil society organization to expand and accelerate mapping exercises. The primary methodology entails use of larger multidisciplinary teams, many of whose members were previously never involved in mapping exercises. The expansion of disciplines and individuals involved in local mapping exercises has strengthened political support for mapping, and improved the quality of the maps and other research being produced. Most important, the maps have informed and influenced the development of legal and institutional mechanism for recognizing adat territory and re- classifying forest land in ways that better accommodate adat ownership and management system in Papua."