Indonesia’s remaining forests are at the nexus of intersecting crises of dwindling biodiversity, climate change and Indigenous rights violations. Megadiverse and carbon rich, these forests are home to over 2,000 Indigenous communities for whom cultural identity and livelihood are bound up with the land. They have proven to be effective custodians of natural resources, but few enjoy legal recognition for their ownership of customary
forests. Instead, the country’s forests are at a growing risk of conversion to plantations, impacting the climate, natural biodiversity heritage and communities who rely on them.
