KnE Social Sciences
ISSN: 2518-668X
The latest conference proceedings on humanities, arts and social sciences.
Legal Recognition and Protection of Indigenous Land Rights: Analysis of the Legal Framework to Achieve Sustainable Development Goals
Published date: Oct 31 2025
Journal Title: KnE Social Sciences
Issue title: The 8th Legal International Conference and Studies (LICS 2025): Corporate Responsibility and Environmental Law Through Economic & Business Management Practices
Pages: 506 - 519
Authors:
Abstract:
The recognition and protection of customary land rights are crucial for the sustainable management of natural resources and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Despite existing regulations such as the Basic Agrarian Law (UUPA No. 5/1960), the implementation of customary land rights remains hindered by legal ambiguities and conflicts with other sectors such as agriculture, mining, and infrastructure development. This study employs a qualitative approach to analyze the challenges in the legal recognition of customary land rights and examines practices from countries such as Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Brazil. The findings suggest that the legal recognition of customary land rights must be strengthened through more inclusive reforms, allowing indigenous people to actively contribute to the achievement of SDGs, particularly in the areas of climate action and environmental conservation. The study recommends improving legal access for indigenous peoples, enhancing their empowerment in natural resource management, and integrating customary land rights into national sustainable development policies.
Keywords: communal, indigenous, land, resource
References:
[1] Afif., Suraya., and Lowe, Celia. Claiming Indigenous Community: Political Discourse and Natural Resource Rights in Indonesia, Sage Journals, 2007;Volume 32 Issue 1. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1177/030437540703200104.
[2] Arizona Y. Cohen, Miriam. The Recognition of Customary Land Rights at the Constitutional Court of Indonesia: A Critical Assessment of the Jurisprudence, BRILL, 2024;Chapter 7. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004691698_008.
[3] Arrasid SE. Eksistensi Hak Ulayat Masyarakat Adat dalam Undang-Udang Pokok Agraria. IPMHI LAW JOURNAL. 2021;I(5):80–90.
[4] Bedner A, Arizona Y. Adat in Indonesian Land Law: A Promise for the Future or a Dead End? Asia Pac J Anthropol. 2019;20(5):416–34.
[5] Efriani., Aditya Dewantara, Jagad., Devi Azahra, Siva. Resolving Conflicts between Corporate Cultivation Rights and Indigenous Community Property Rights: A Study of Abandoned Land in Indonesian Palm Oil Plantations, Journal of Global Innovations in Agricultural Sciences, 2024;Volume 12 Issue 3. Available at: https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.22194/JGIAS/24.12.
[6] Jaksa F. Matthew. Putting the “Sustainable” Back in Sustainable Development: Recognizing and Enforcing Indigenous Property Rights as a Pathway to Global Environmental Sustainability, Journal of Environmental Law & Ligitation, 2006;Volume 21 Issue 1. Available at: https://hdl.handle.net/1794/5409
[7] Community’s Opposition to the Land Certification Program in West Sumatra, Indonesia, Journal of Ecohumanism, Volume 3 Issue 8. Available at: https://doi.org/10.62754/joe.v3i8.5176.
[8] Gispert AC. Indigenous peoples and local community reports of climate change impacts on biodiversity. Conserv Biol. 2025;1(1):e70033.
[9] Beyond Rights K. The Nisga’a Final Agreement and the Challenges of Modern Treaty Relationships Carole Blackburn. Can J Polit Sci. 2024;57(2):494–6.
[10] Kennedy CM, Fariss B, Oakleaf JR, Garnett ST, Fernández-Llamazares Á, Fa JE, et al. Indigenous Peoples’ lands are threatened by industrial development; conversion risk assessment reveals need to support Indigenous stewardship. One Earth. 2023;6(8):1032–49.
[11] Leandro Monando, Marcos. In defense of indigenous territories in Brazil: rights, demarcations and land retake, GEOUSP Espanco e Tempo, 2022;Volume 21 Issue 1. Available at: https://doi.org/10.11606/issn.2179-0892.geousp.2022.176224.
[12] Lubis I, Siregar T, Lubis DI, Adawiyah R, Lubis AH. Integrasi Hukum Adat dalam Sistem Hukum Agraria Nasional: Tantangan dan Solusi dalam Pengakuan Hak Ulayat. Tunas Agraria. 2025;8(2):143–58.
[13] Stevenson M. Sarah. (2008). Indigenous Land Rights and the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples: Implications for Maori Land Claims in New Zealand, Fordham International Law Journal, Volume 32 Issue 1. Available at: https://ir.lawnet.fordham.edu/ilj/vol32/iss1/16
[14] Love MD. Toni. Te Ture Whenua Mᾱori Reform – When Poor Problem Definition Leads to Illegitimate Policy, Victoria University of Wellington Legal Research Papers Student and Alumni Paper Series, 2018;Number 33. Availabel at: https://dx.doi.org/https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3156042.
[15] Haq SM, Pieroni A, Bussmann RW, Abd-El Gawad AM, El-Ansary HO. Integrating traditional ecological knowledge into habitat restoration: implications for meeting forest restoration challenges. J Ethnobiol Ethnomed. 2023 Aug;19(1):33.
[16] Gregor M. Indigenous environmental justice and sustainability. Curr Opin Environ Sustain. 2020;43:35–40.
[17] William M. Historical Reflections on Customary Land Rights in Indonesia. Asia Pac J Anthropol. 2006;7(1):45–64.
[18] OECD. Overview of Indigenous Governance in Canada: Evolving Relations and Key Issues and Debates, in Linking Indigenous Communities with Regional Development in Canada, OECD Rural. Policy Rev. 2020; https://doi.org/10.1787/fa0f60c6-en.
[19] Ravna Ø. Bankes, Nigel. Recognition of Indigenous Land Rights in Norway and Canada, International Journal on Minority and Group Rights, 2017;Volume 24 Issue 1. Available at: https://www.jstor.org/stable/26557860
[20] Reid L. Native Title, land rights and Aboriginal self- determination. Emerging Scholars in Australian Indigenous Studies. 2019;4(1):8–13.
[21] Buana S. Development as a Threat to Indigenous Peoples’ Rights in Indonesia. Int J Minor Group Rights. 2019;27(3):442–71.
[22] Putri Y. Legal Certainty of Indigenous People’s Land Rights of Former Customary Land Ownership Evidence After Its Validity Period Expires. International Journal of Law Dynamics Review. 2025;3(1):30–8.
[23] Brennan S. Davis, Megan., Edgeworth, Brendan., Terrill, Leon. The Idea of Native Title as a Vehicle for Change and Indigenous Empowerment,” in Native Title from Mabo to Akiba: A Vehicle for Change and Empowerment? Sydney: Federation Press; 2015. Available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3153271
[24] Creswell JW. Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches. Yogyakarta: Pustaka Pelajar; 2015.
[25] Fitria Dewi, Susi., Yulika, Febri., Lisa Sulaiman, Nor., Mohd Salleh, Kahirol., Evelynd. Navigating Resistance: The Minangkabau Indigenous; 2024.
[26] Marzuki M. Peter. Penelitian Hukum, cet. Ke-5, Jakarta: Kencana; 2009.
[27] Oliver P. Macklem, Patrick., Des Rosiers, Nathalie. The Oxford Handbook of the Canadian Constitution, Oxford University Press; 2017. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1093/law/9780190664817.001.0001.
[28] Salsiah Alisjahbana, Armida., Murniningtyas, Endah. Tujuan Pembangunan Berkelanjutan di Indonesia: Konsep Target dan Strategi Implementasi, Bandung, Unpad Pers; 2018.
[29] Constitution. 1945.