Indonesia has the third largest area of tropical forests in the world, yet the burning of hundreds of thousands of hectares of forest for palm oil and mining concessions makes it one of the world’s largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. Failure to recognize Indigenous land rights threatens Indigenous communities that depend directly on forests for their livelihoods and fuels climate change. The Indonesian government plans to offer tens of millions of hectares of additional land concessions for pulp and palm oil business in the next decade, which will decimate valued carbon sinks and ignore Indigenous claims to customary territory.
More than one-fifth of the carbon stored in the world’s tropical forests lies in Indigenous territories, and these forests, when legally recognized and protected, tend to store more carbon and experience lower rates of deforestation. AMAN—Aliansi Masyarakat Adat Nusantara or Indigenous Peoples’ Alliance of the Archipelago—reduces deforestation by advocating for policies that support Indigenous People, supporting the sustainable management of Indigenous-held land, and strengthening the cultural identity of Indigenous people in Indonesia.
AMAN is working toward a world in which Indigenous Peoples’ rights and lands are legally recognized and where Indigenous People have a sustainable livelihood and the ability to transmit their traditional knowledge to future generations to preserve culture and combat deforestation and climate change.
Failure to recognize Indigenous land rights threatens Indigenous communities that depend directly on forests for their livelihoods and fuels climate change.
AMAN reduces deforestation by advocating for policies that support Indigenous people, supporting the sustainable management of Indigenous-held land, and strengthening the cultural identity of Indigenous people in Indonesia.
Rukka Sombolinggi is an Indigenous Toraja from Sulawesi; in 2017 she was elected as the first woman to be secretary-general of AMAN. Mina Setra is an Indigenous Dayak Pompakng from West Kalimantan and has worked on Indigenous, environment, and climate policy at AMAN since it was founded in 1999.
AMAN is working toward a world in which Indigenous Peoples’ rights and lands are legally recognized and where Indigenous People have a sustainable livelihood and the ability to transmit their traditional knowledge to future generations to preserve culture, combat deforestation, and end climate change.
Rate of deforestation and associated emissions slow in tropical forest regions in line with global targets. Protected forests sequester carbon, deliver ecosystem services, and enhance livelihoods for Indigenous Peoples and local communities. Actionable data is available to support protecting and sustainably managing forests.
AMAN organizes Indigenous communities throughout Indonesia on their journey to self-determination and land tenure to slow deforestation and mitigate climate change. Their work encompasses policy advocacy for Indigenous human rights and land rights, sustainable forest management, and strengthening Indigenous cultural identity.
Deputy Secretary General, Alliance of Indigenous Peoples of the Archipelago (AMAN)
Secretary General, Alliance of Indigenous Peoples of the Archipelago (AMAN)
Rukka Sombolinggi is in her second term as secretary-general of the Indigenous Peoples’ Alliance of the Archipelago (AMAN). She was born and raised in Toraja, South Sulawesi, Indonesia, and belongs to the Indigenous Toraja, who inhabit the highlands of South Sulawesi. Prior to joining AMAN in 2000, Rukka was involved in the Indigenous Peoples’ movement through the Jaringan Pembelaan Hak-hak Masyarakat Adat (JAPHAMA) or Network for the Defense of Indigenous Peoples’ Rights, a network and working group of Indigenous People and environmental activists that later gave birth to AMAN. In more than 20 years working at AMAN, Rukka has had various positions, including national advocacy staff, international advocacy coordinator, special staff to the secretary general and to the deputy to the secretary-general for advocacy, legal, and political affairs. She also worked as a program specialist at the United Nations Development Program for the Regional Indigenous Peoples' Program in Bangkok, Thailand, in 2006-2010. Rukka holds a bachelor’s degree in agriculture from Hasanuddin University in Makassar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia, and a master’s degree in political science from Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand.
Mina Susana Setra is deputy to secretary-general on culture for AMAN. She is an Indigenous Dayak Pompakng from West Kalimantan, Indonesia. The Dayak Pompakng have traditionally depended on the rivers and forests for food. Forests and rivers have become part of the culture and identity of the Dayak Pompakng. Various traditions and belief systems toward ancestors, gods, and the universe are attached to the peculiarities of their Indigenous territories. A rumah panjang (long house) is a wooden houses where tens of families can live together under one roof. However, most of them have been displaced by various mining and oil palm companies that have cleared forests and destroyed Indigenous territories in the last few decades, including the forests where Mina’s family once lived. She has been with AMAN since the organization was founded in 1999. Under her leadership, AMAN's Directorate of Culture has succeeded in building 90 sekolah adat (Indigenous schools) spread across various regions in Indonesia.
