Participatory Mapping Prevents Land Disputes in West Kalimantan’s Village Forests

Tensions around land boundaries

Indonesia’s Social Forestry scheme gives local communities legal rights to manage and protect forests. One way to support these efforts is through payments for ecosystem services (PES), where communities are rewarded for maintaining healthy forests that provide benefits like clean water and reduced carbon emissions. For communities to be able to claim such PES or other funds for their village forests, it is crucial to have a clear understanding of the boundaries of the forests, as this determines the opportunities that the area can provide. For the Tanoeh Mejuakng Village Forest, part of the Gema village, previous mapping created unclarities in boundaries. Surrounding communities from Batu Daya and Mekar Raya villages were not involved, which resulted in overlaps in official spatial data. While not immediately problematic in daily life, this did pose significant risks for future disputes, when the communities would want to make use of opportunities such as payments for ecosystem services or attract funding for their village forests.

To prevent tensions from rising, the communities asked Tropenbos Indonesia to support in a participatory mapping process. A conflict-sensitive approach was critical, ensuring that traditional customs were respected while fostering collaboration among all stakeholders. Due to strong relations with the local communities and a good understanding of the cultural context, Tropenbos Indonesia was well positioned to support this process and resolve the inconsistencies in land boundaries.

Using local ownership in formalizing land boundaries

An analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) at the start of the process revealed the need for a participatory approach to prevent legal and social disputes between the communities. Therefore, Tropenbos Indonesia facilitated discussions between representatives from all three villages. Traditional leaders played a key role in these discussions, as they identified the historically respected boundaries, using natural landmarks such as rivers and ridges. To follow formal requirements from the national government, Tropenbos Indonesia supported the communities in translating these natural boundaries into measured spatial boundaries. This collaborative process was formalized in a workshop attended by local authorities and community representatives, where stakeholders signed a resolution outlining the agreed boundaries.

With the facilitation of Tropenbos Indonesia, the Gema Village government allocated Village funds to verify the boundaries and integrate the revised map into district-level legal frameworks. This helped to sustain the agreement. This step ensured local ownership of the process, reducing dependency on external mediation.

Lessons Learned

The situation underscored the dangers of top-down approaches to mapping and land governance. Tropenbos Indonesia’s participatory process demonstrated the value of using traditional knowledge in boundary mapping. Natural boundaries identified by elders aligned closely with community practices and were critical in gaining consensus. This reaffirmed the need to respect and incorporate local knowledge when dealing with environmental issues and in conflict prevention processes.

A key challenge was building and keeping trust between the parties involved, as the issue of land boundaries is sensitive, and wrong moves could exacerbate tensions instead of solving them. As Tropenbos Indonesia already knew some of the stakeholders involved, this created a good starting point for the participatory approach. Careful planning was required to ensure all parties felt equally supported. The use of traditional leaders as mediators was important in this conflict-sensitive approach, as it ensured peaceful dialogues between the villages.

Looking ahead

While the resolution marks a milestone for peaceful collaboration between the village communities, the work is not complete. The revised boundaries must now be formally integrated into district-level legal frameworks. Tropenbos Indonesia will support the communities in these next steps, ensuring the agreements are institutionalized and future funding opportunities can be pursued without new tensions.

This experience has strengthened Tropenbos Indonesia’s commitment to participatory and conflict-sensitive approaches in forest governance. By empowering communities and respecting traditional practices, it has shown that even complex processes can be resolved peacefully when there is an eye for all stakeholders involved. With continued support and growing local ownership, the villages of Gema, Batu Daya, and Mekar Raya can now focus on their shared goal: managing their forests peacefully and sustainably.