Who We Are

The Indonesian ICCAs Working Group (WGII) is a working group or consortium formed after the ICCAs Symposium held in Bogor on October 14, 2011. At the beginning of its formation, WGII ​​consisted of 10 (ten) civil society organizations in Indonesia, namely the Indigenous Peoples Alliance of the Archipelago (AMAN), the Participatory Mapping Network (JKPP), WWF Indonesia, the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (WALHI), Sawit Watch, the Pusaka Bentala Rakyat Foundation (PUSAKA), HuMa Indonesia, the People's Coalition for Fisheries Justice (KIARA), NTFP-EP Indonesia or the Indonesian Forest Resources Development Foundation, and the Customary Territory Registration Agency (BRWA). Together, these organizations initiated efforts to promote, advocate, and strengthen recognition of territories and areas managed and conserved by Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities Conserved Territories and Areas (ICCA – Territories of Life) in Indonesia, while supporting the ICCA movement in encouraging the transformation of conventional, exclusive conservation approaches (fortress conservation) toward a more equitable and rights-based conservation approach, hereinafter referred to as the People's Conservation Movement. Since 2015, WGII ​​has also been a member of the ICCA Consortium.

In carrying out its mandate, WGII ​​works through a collaborative approach, dividing roles among members based on their respective strengths and mandates, such as participatory mapping, advocacy for indigenous peoples' rights, community empowerment, and capacity building. This collective work is reinforced through the WGII ​​Strategic Plan, which refers to the three main pillars of ICCA: documenting, maintaining sustainability, and defending ICCA.

From 2011 to 2015, WGII ​​operated as a fluid working group coordinated through a secretariat and supported by the host institution for administrative and funding management. From 2013 to 2025, BRWA served as WGII's host institution.
As the consortium's programs, organizational governance, and financial management evolved, members began to recognize the need for WGII ​​to operate more broadly and less dependent on the host institution. Therefore, at the first Membership Meeting in 2025, all members agreed on an organizational governance transformation agenda, transforming WGII ​​from a fluid group into a more formal and organized institution. At that forum, it was agreed that WGII ​​would be officially established as a legal entity in the form of an Association, in accordance with Indonesian law.

The Association institutional model was deemed the most appropriate model for WGII ​​because it is fundamentally membership-based, with WGII ​​membership based on organizational membership. The transformation of WGII ​​into a formal legal entity does not change the consortium's collaborative working methods, but rather strengthens the secretariat's function and increases the organization's accountability in carrying out its mandate and strategic work plan. Concurrently, WGII ​​also established consortium statutes, and in October 2025, WGII ​​was officially registered as a legal entity under the name of the Perkumpulan Gerakan Konservasi Rakyat Nusantara.

Currently, WGII ​​members consist of nine civil society organizations, including the Indigenous Peoples' Alliance of the Archipelago (AMAN), the Participatory Mapping Network (JKPP), the Customary Territory Registration Agency (BRWA), HuMa Indonesia, the Pusaka Bentala Rakyat Foundation (PUSAKA), Sawit Watch, the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (WALHI), NTFP-EP Indonesia, and the People's Coalition for Fisheries Justice (KIARA).

Vision

Our vision is to realize the protection and sustainable use of biodiversity in Indonesia that is firmly grounded in human rights, traditional knowledge, and justice.

Mission

1. To elevate the visibility and recognition of ICCA-territories of Life across Indonesia.
2. To secure, defend, and advance the rights of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities, including women, youth, and marginalized groups, over their ICCA-territories of life, local wisdom, and traditional knowledge through policy advocacy at local, national, and global levels.
3. To strengthen and amplify the conservation practices and governance systems of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities so they are fully recognized and integrated by government institutions, formal education systems, and other actors in conservation and biodiversity governance.
4. To reinforce, support, and empower the capacities and institutions of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities in governing natural resources and safeguarding their living spaces.
5. To build a resilient, credible, and influential coalition that serves as a leading reference for stakeholders in advancing conservation grounded in human rights.