LPPMA

LPPMA has facilitated the founding of local adat institutions, after raising adat communities' awareness about legal rights through their community legal education program. Several adat leaders have agreed to reject approaches made by one oil palm company and two logging companies seeking to establish projects in the area. The leaders have also drafted guidelines to be applied to any outsiders seeking to negotiate with local communities over land acquisition. In Serui, northwest Papua, LPPMA facilitated a critical legal education workshop that involved village leaders from two sub-districts. An agreement was also reached to establish a formal adat institution. The leaders then agreed to oppose a 30,000 hectare oil palm plantation.

Previous experience with government-sponsored cooperatives has already shown that quick-cash benefits being offered in exchange for land for oil palm plantations can be a powerful attraction for adat communities. So LPPMA is now reorienting its program to use not only the critical legal education, but to also include economic perspectives. Thus, LPPMA is carrying out discussions with adat leaders about these experiences, and in other parts of Indonesia where people-based intensive plantation estates are in place. They organized a "West Papua Appropriate Economic Development Workshop" in Jayapura, involving local NGOs, adat institutions from the Jayapura district, local government, and university. The workshop produced a vision statement on appropriate economic development, including principles, criteria, and strategies for follow-up actions. LPPMA is discussing the results of the workshop with its partners in adat institutions as well as NGOs.

LPPMA completed its participatory community mapping in Kemtuk, which covered the settlement area and gardens in the valley, but did not include the forest areas. The community mapping will now continue as part of the program of the Kemtuk adat institution, Dewan Persekuan Masyarakat Adat (DPMA) Kemtuk. With the ongoing support of LPPMA, this group will establish an office and work plan. KEMALA partner ELSAM supported LPPMA to implement the research on "Traditional Tenurial System and adat Community-based Forest Management" in Kemtuk. The draft of this research report was presented to the Kemtuk adat elders in October 2000, during a workshop on critical legal education. The adat leaders provided critical additional inputs on the research report.

LPPMA also conducted a similar workshop for the Nimboran adat leders later in October 2000 in Jayapura. The Nimboran people consist of 60 clans in 24 villages in three sub-districts within the Jayapura District. The participants were 21 adat leaders. They are facing many cases where their natural resources are threatened, such as acquisition of their lands by the government electricity company (PLN) without fair compensation, industrial timber concessions and mining issues. They are also facing some political uncertainties with elections of village heads. Base on the legal cases, Some Nimboran leaders came to LPPMA seeking legal advice. LPPMA facilitated the leaders to develop a plan to build their adat institution in Nimboran to be the main tool and medium to articulate the needs of their communities.

As the leading legal NGO in Papua, LPPMA has always been asked to assist other NGOs to provide legal advice and critical legal studies. Thus, LPPMA supported YBAW in Wamena to conduct a study on adat traditional rules in managing natural resources. Providing this service to NGOs has diverted resources and energy away from the services they can provide directly to adat communities, such as in Arso, North Defonsoro, and other places. Thus, LPPMA had their annual members meeting in November 2000 in Jayapura, attended by all the members of the foundation. They reflected upon the path their institution has taken and decided to extend the quality of services provided to adat communities in Papua. They recommended to change the form of their institution from that of a foundation (yayasan) to one of a limited union (perkumpulan terbatas). This move would open access to the main stakeholders, the Papuan indigenous people and help foster becoming a more democratic institution.



	FINAL PROJECT STATUS BRIEF 2001

Project	Empowering and Strengthening Papua's Indigenous Communities for Improved Natural Resources Management
Partner	Lembaga Pengkajian dan Pengembangan Masyarakat Adat (LPPMA) Jl Raya Abe-Sentani No. 3 Abepura, Jayapura 99351, Papua Tel: (62) (0967) 582 681 Fax (via wartel): (62) (097) 581 488 E-mail: lppma_irja@jayapura.wasantara.net.id
Geographical focus	Sub-districts Arso, Depapre, Kemtuk in Jayapura District, Teminabuan in Sorong District, Tanah Merah in Merauke District, and Waropen-Bawah in Yapen Waropen District, Papua
Biome	Tropical and subtropical broadleaf forests/ coastal and marine ecosystems
Timing	Commencing May 1999
Description	LPPMA has been working to overcome the problems of inappropriate development, community dislocation, non-representative laws and policies, and socially and environmentally destructive natural resources uses in Papua for the past 12 years. During this period they have focused on legal education and support services to NGOs and communities. More recently, they have facilitated community mapping and advocacy for the recognition of rights of local communities. LPPMA has helped form 16 customary groups (Lembaga Adat) and a new network of these groups and NGOs (Konpenma). Over the past year, LPPMA has worked with this network to assist three communities to map their customary areas, conduct workshops and trainings, and develop model policies and legal education materials. In the next phase of their work, LPPMA will follow up and expand their activities into three additional strategic sub-districts of Papua. Over the next two years LPPMA will seek to achieve the following objectives in these areas: establish indigenous community groups capable of identifying and advocating their rights and needs in relation to land and natural resources; establish indigenous community groups that are informed, motivated and capable of benefiting from and sustainably managing natural resources; and achieve legal and policy changes which acknowledge and support indigenous rights to land and natural resources. LPPMA coordinates with KEMALA partners, especially WWF Indonesia, JKPP, LATIN and ELSAM, in the preparation and implementation of trainings, and in conducting policy analysis and drafting of policy proposals that recognize the role of adat communities in parks and protected areas management.
Results	LPPMA has facilitated the founding of local adat institutions, after raising adat communities' awareness about legal rights through their community legal education program. Several adat leaders have agreed to reject approaches made by one oil palm company and two logging companies seeking to establish projects in the area. The leaders have also drafted guidelines to be applied to any outsiders seeking to negotiate with local communities over land acquisition. In Serui, northwest Papua, LPPMA facilitated a critical legal education workshop that involved village leaders from two sub-districts. An agreement was also reached to establish a formal adat institution. The leaders then agreed to oppose a 30,000 hectare oil palm plantation. Previous experience with government-sponsored cooperatives has already shown that quick-cash benefits being offered in exchange for land for oil palm plantations can be a powerful attraction for adat communities. So LPPMA is now reorienting its program to use not only the critical legal education, but to also include economic perspectives. Thus, LPPMA is carrying out discussions with adat leaders about these experiences, and in other parts of Indonesia where people-based intensive plantation estates are in place. They organized a "West Papua Appropriate Economic Development Workshop" in Jayapura, involving local NGOs, adat institutions from the Jayapura district, local government, and university. The workshop produced a vision statement on appropriate economic development, including principles, criteria, and strategies for follow-up actions. LPPMA is discussing the results of the workshop with its partners in adat institutions as well as NGOs. LPPMA completed its participatory community mapping in Kemtuk, which covered the settlement area and gardens in the valley, but did not include the forest areas. The community mapping will now continue as part of the program of the Kemtuk adat institution, Dewan Persekuan Masyarakat Adat (DPMA) Kemtuk. With the ongoing support of LPPMA, this group will establish an office and work plan. KEMALA partner ELSAM supported LPPMA to implement the research on "Traditional Tenurial System and adat Community-based Forest Management" in Kemtuk. The draft of this research report was presented to the Kemtuk adat elders in October 2000, during a workshop on critical legal education. The adat leaders provided critical additional inputs on the research report. LPPMA also conducted a similar workshop for the Nimboran adat leders later in October 2000 in Jayapura. The Nimboran people consist of 60 clans in 24 villages in three sub-districts within the Jayapura District. The participants were 21 adat leaders. They are facing many cases where their natural resources are threatened, such as acquisition of their lands by the government electricity company (PLN) without fair compensation, industrial timber concessions and mining issues. They are also facing some political uncertainties with elections of village heads. Base on the legal cases, Some Nimboran leaders came to LPPMA seeking legal advice. LPPMA facilitated the leaders to develop a plan to build their adat institution in Nimboran to be the main tool and medium to articulate the needs of their communities. As the leading legal NGO in Papua, LPPMA has always been asked to assist other NGOs to provide legal advice and critical legal studies. Thus, LPPMA supported YBAW in Wamena to conduct a study on adat traditional rules in managing natural resources. Providing this service to NGOs has diverted resources and energy away from the services they can provide directly to adat communities, such as in Arso, North Defonsoro, and other places. Thus, LPPMA had their annual members meeting in November 2000 in Jayapura, attended by all the members of the foundation. They reflected upon the path their institution has taken and decided to extend the quality of services provided to adat communities in Papua. They recommended to change the form of their institution from that of a foundation (yayasan) to one of a limited union (perkumpulan terbatas). This move would open access to the main stakeholders, the Papuan indigenous people and help foster becoming a more democratic institution.