Country:

Indonesia

Date:

2021 - 2022

Implementor:

Papua Study Center

Funding Amount:

33,773

Details:

This project supported legal action by the Marfenen Adat community against the Navy, the Governor, and the Agrarian Affairs Minister. Unfortunately, the Court ruled in favor of the military based on its consideration of only “formal” land tenure evidence and not the customary tenure rights of Marafenfen community on their land. Papua Study Center and the Save Aru Movement -together with community leaders and their lawyers – are strategizing to appeal the Court’s decision while intensifying local mobilization in support of Marafenfen Peoples.

For context, the Aru Islands are an archipelago south of Papua. The Indonesian Navy seized 689 ha to build an airport on their traditional hunting grounds. The community reports that the military set up a highly profitable business of wildlife meat (using machine guns to kill animals) and an illegal trafficking of protected species.