International Day for Biological Diversity: Rebuilding Biodiversity Must Be Done Through an Inclusive and Human Rights-Based Conservation Approach

Jakarta, 22/05/2013, Coinciding with the International Day for Biological Diversity, the Working Group ICCAs Indonesia (WGII) along with its members invites the public and policymakers to take concrete action in addressing the biodiversity crisis that could threaten life on earth, now and in the future. This year's Biodiversity Day, themed "From Agreement to Action: Build Back Biodiversity," calls on all components of society and government to implement the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM-GBF) agreed upon at COP-15 of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) held in December 2022.

WGII believes that the commitment outlined in the KM-GBF brings positive change by mandating member states (including Indonesia) to set ambitious targets to prevent and restore biodiversity loss in a transformative way, "A Whole Society Approach to Conservation," by involving and making society conservation actors, and inclusive by considering human rights principles, equality, and participation from women, youth, and indigenous and local communities. However, this commitment is certainly not enough to remain a promise and planning, but needs to be translated into supporting policy implementation.

Kasmita Widodo, WGII Coordinator, stated that "The government needs to take firm concrete actions to correct the deficiencies that have existed in conservation management as agreed in the KM-GBF. Biodiversity management needs to pay attention to the rights of indigenous peoples, recognize conservation practices carried out by indigenous and local communities, and involve them in decision-making related to biodiversity. Conservation cannot be separated from the community, because in fact, conservation is culture and a source of life for indigenous peoples and local communities."

"Conservation policy through Law No. 5 of 1990 is also no longer able to meet the needs and paradigm shifts in conservation driven globally or the empirical dynamics of the biodiversity crisis, climate, and even pandemics. Current conservation management has also proven ineffective. Agrarian conflicts color almost all empirical realities of conservation area designation in Indonesia, both in the form of conflicts between communities and area managers, as well as conflicts between humans and wildlife. This is due to the absence of several important principles in conservation such as inclusivity, collaboration, PADIATAPA, and local wisdom," said Ode Rakhman, Deputy External Walhi.

According to HuMa data in 2018, there were 86 forestry conflicts, 27 of which were in National Parks, and 13 cases ended in violence. Komnas HAM recorded 40 cases of communities with forest areas, some of which are Conservation Areas. According to WGII data, out of more than 30 million hectares designated by the government as Conservation Areas, there are about 5,756 villages with an area of more than 20 million hectares, and 4.1 million hectares of which are indigenous territories, although only 922.8 thousand hectares have received recognition through regional legal products.

"The government should learn from indigenous peoples and local communities (MAKL) on how to ensure the sustainability of biodiversity. WGII notes that there are more than 467,700 hectares of areas protected by MAKL through local wisdom practices, with potential areas reaching 4.2 million hectares. Practices also known as Indigenous and Community Conserved Areas (ICCAs) are spread across various types of landscapes and ecosystems, both in land areas and coastal and marine areas, such as tana' ulen, leweung titipan, lubuk larangan, awig-awig, sasi, and others. Therefore, the contribution of indigenous peoples and local communities to biodiversity conservation should also be recognized and counted," added Kasmita Widodo.

KM-GBF also leaves a positive mark on the indigenous peoples' movement by incorporating indigenous and local community elements into 7 of the 23 targets set, related to sustainable use, protection of traditional knowledge, participation, fair benefit sharing, and FPIC (Free, Prior, Informed Consent).

Furthermore, Cindy Julianty, Program Manager of WGII, stated, "We have a target by 2030 to protect 30% of land and sea (30 by 30), and we should already be learning and recognizing other tools that can be used to achieve this target. Protected Areas (Conservation Area Designation) are not the only way to achieve conservation targets. We must begin to acknowledge and realize the contributions of other actors such as indigenous and local communities. There should be no more indigenous territories designated as Conservation Areas! Indigenous and Local Communities are the actors and the last bastion of true conservation."

Therefore, WGII encourages the government to respond and accelerate the implementation of KM-GBF with appropriate policy updates, including the Draft Law on Conservation of Biological Natural Resources and Their Ecosystems (RUU KSDAHE) and the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) as two opportunities that need to be jointly monitored to rebuild biodiversity and realize a more just, sustainable, and inclusive future for Indonesia.

More Information

Coverage of the RDPU RUU KSDAHE can be accessed at: Youtube Channel of Commission IV DPR RI

The Policy Brief Series can be accessed on the website: http://iccas.or.id

Contact:

Lasti Fardila (0813-8860-1039)