Soeryo Adiwibowo

Contested Land: An Analysis of Multi-Layered Conflicts in Jambi Province, Sumatra, Indonesia

In the lowland areas of Sumatra, conflicts over land and natural resources are increasing as fundamental land use transformation processes take place and the region is gradually integrated into globalized markets. Set against the background of the conflict arena of Bungku village, Jambi province, this paper describes and analyzes the struggle for land between a group of indigenous people, the Batin Sembilan, and an oil palm company, PT Asiatic Persada. By highlighting the path dependency of land conflicts, the article shows that access to land results from concurring but ambivalent institutional regimes and power asymmetries, leading to an ostensible state of equilibrium in a post-frontier area.

Rescaling of Access and Property Relations in a Frontier Landscape: Insights from Jambi, Indonesia

The recent expansion of protected areas and oil palm plantations in Jambi (Sumatra), Indonesia, has been notably disruptive. This article investigates the scalar dimensions of land conflicts within a privately managed conservation area. We built on qualitative research focusing on struggles related to the formation of two informal settlements within the conservation area. Results indicate that, especially in the context of rapid rescaling (e.g., decentralization), new power constellations emerge, thereby altering preexisting property relations. We argue that competing scales of meaning and regulation are structuring the ability of actors to access land and, consequently, reflect tensions between structure and agency.

Land Tenure Dynamics on Forest Conservation Area: Case Study in Grand Forest Park Sultan Thaha Saifuddin

ABSTRACT Located at Jambi Province, the Grand Forest Park of Sultan Thaha Saifuddin (GFP STS or GFP in short) was established at 2001. The GFP STS, previously known as the Senami Forest, spread over three sub-districts of Batang Hari District i.e. Bajubang, Muara Bulian and Muara Tembesi. Before appointed as GFP STS the status and function of Senami forest changing four times (at 1933, 1987, 1999, 2001). The implication of this changing policy combine with weak law enforcement are uncertain tenurial arrangement for access, control, and use the resource in particular within the area of GFP. As result, at present forest cover of GFP only left 15 to 30 percent. In addition, among the various types of forest conservation areas, Grand Forest Parks is more vulnerable for land accessing than the National Park. Therefore, it is interesting to examine what is the impact of those series changing forest property and governance to the tenurial arrangement among and between actors within the area of GFP STS. This research applied qualitative method with semi structured and in deepth interview with key informant and participant observation whose selected by snowball technique. The result shows long-term series of change of access to GFP (1933, 1987, 1999 and 2001) have significantly change the legal rights, actual rights and practice use of land/resource among and between user groups. The access is considered either as legal or illegally. Keyword: land tenure, forest conservation, access mechanism, grand forest park, Sultan Thaha Saifuddin ABSTRAK Taman Hutan Raya (THR) Sultan Thaha Saifuddin (STS) merupakan kawasan hutan yang ditetapkan pada tahun 2001. THR STS, yang sebelumnya diketahui sebagai kawasan Hutan Senami oleh penduduk lokal, melintas di tiga Kecamatan antara lain Bajubang, Muara Bulian, dan Muara Tembesi, Kabupaten Batanghari, Provinsi Jambi. Sebelum ditetapkan sebagai kawasan THR pada tahun 2001, status dan fungsi kawasan Hutan Senami pernah mengalami beberapa kali perubahan antara lain pada tahun 1933, 1987, 1999 dan 2001. Implikasi dari serangkaian perubahan kebijakan yang berpadu dengan lemahnya penegakan hukum adalah munculnya ketidakpastian pengaturan tenurial terhadap akses, penguasaan, dan pemanfaatan sumberdaya hutan di dalam kawasan THR STS. Dampaknya, saat ini luas tutupan hutan di kawasan THR STS hanya tersisa 15 hingga 30 persen saja. Selain itu, diantara berbagai jenis kawasan hutan konservasi, Taman Hutan Raya merupakan kawasan yang lebih rentan terhadap akses lahan dibandingkan dengan Taman Nasional. Dengan demikian, menarik untuk dikaji bagaimana dampak dari serangkaian perubahan kebijakan dan status kepemilikan hutan tersebut terhadap pengaturan penata-kelolaan hutan diantara berbagai aktor di dalam kawasan THR STS. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode kualitatif yang dilakukan dengan wawancara mendalam dengan informan kunci dan responden yang ditentukan melalui teknik snowball sampling. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukan bahwa rangkaian panjang perubahan akses pada kawasan THR STS (1933, 1987, 1999, dan 2001) telah secara signifikan merubah hak legal, hak aktual, dan praktik pemanfaatan lahan/sumberdaya di dalam dan diantara berbagai kelompok pengguna. Mekanisme akses juga dilakukan baik secara legal maupun ilegal. Kata Kunci: tenurial lahan, hutan konservasi, mekanisme akses, taman hutan raya, Sultan Thaha Saifuddin

The Limit to Politics of Ethnicity? Migration and Upland Transformation in Central Sulawesi

ABSTRACT Although in early 2000s ethnic politics was used to gain access to land inside the National Park, thus transformed land use in an upland village in Central Sulawesi, a decade later it losts its role as the main driver to further expansion of agriculture-land. Using political ecology approach, this paper discusses territorialization through politics of ethnicity and ethnicity/identity as mechanism to access. The findings indicated that ethnic politics are enabled, and constrained, by certain conditions within the community as well as from external situation. In the latter trajectory of upland transformation, politics of ethnicity are constrained by an alteration of ethnic groupings as new migrants came to the village community, a ‘leveling-off playing field’ in land access and high-external input agriculture commodities, as well as a change in forest-policy. Keywords: ethnic politics, migration, upland transformation ABSTRAK Meski pada permulaan tahun 2000an politik etnisitas digunakan untuk memperoleh akses atas tanah hutan di dalam Taman Nasional, lantas merubah penggunaan lahan pada suatu desa dataran tinggi di Sulawesi Tengah, satu dekade setelahnya politik etnisitas tak lagi berperan dalam ekspansi lanjutan tanah pertanian itu. Menggunakan pendekatan ekologi politik, tulisan ini membahas teritorialisasi melalui politik etnisitas dan penggunaan kuasa etnisitas/identitas sebagai mekanisme untuk mengakses. Temuan penelitian menunjukkan bahwa politik etnisitas dimungkinkan, ataupun dibatasi, oleh kondisi-kondisi di dalam komunitas maupun situasi eksternal. Pada trajectory transformasi desa yang belakangan, politik etnisitas dibatasi oleh perubahan pengelompokan etnis akibat migrasi baru pada komunitas desa yang kian beragam etnis, suatu leveling-off playing field dalam akses atas tanah dan budidaya komoditas pertanian tinggi-input yang mengarah pada pemerataan kesempatan ekonomi dan pendapatan, serta perubahan dalam kebijakan kehutanan. Kata kunci: politik etnisitas, migrasi, transformasi dataran tinggi pedalaman

Gold Mining in Southwest Maluku: Curse or Blessing? (Study on Conflict Access of Agrarian Resources)

ABSTRACT Conflict in agrarian resource-rich areas due to differences of interest continue to occur in Indonesia, including in the gold mining area of Hila Village, District of Romang Islands, Southwest Maluku Regency. Conflict that occurred in the gold mining area of Hila Village is a horizontal conflict involving the communities, but there are local elites who play a role in it as well. Conflicting communities are those who are pro-mining and against it. Each actor has a different interest in the resources of Hila Village. This research uses qualitative method with case study approach. The purposeof this study is to analyze the factors that cause conflict. The result shows that there are many factors causing the conflict, including access to land, compensation fee and labor recruitment. These factors occur due to unilateral claims and ineffective management by village and company authorities. The benefits of the management and utilization are only felt by certain actors who have access to resources, whereas other actors who do not have access do not benefit. Keywords: Agrarian resources, conflict, Southwest Maluku ABSTRAK Konflik di daerah kaya sumberdaya agraria, akibat perbedaan kepentingan terus terjadi di Indonesia, termasuk di kawasan pertambangan emas Desa Hila, Kecamatan Kepulauan Romang, Kabupaten Maluku Barat Daya. Konflik yang terjadi di kawasan pertambangan emas Desa Hila adalah konflik horisontal yang melibatkan masyarakat dengan masyarakat, namun di dalamnya terdapat elit-elit lokal yang turut berperan. Masyarakat yang berkonflik adalah masyarakat yang pro terhadap tambang dengan masyarakat yang kontra terhadap tambang. Masing-masing aktor memiliki kepentingan yang berbeda terhadap sumberdaya di Desa Hila. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode kualitatif dengan pendekatan studi kasus. Tujuan penelitian ini untuk menganalisis faktor-faktor penyebab konflik. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa terdapat banyak faktor yang menyebabkan terjadinya konflik, diantaranya faktor akses terhadap lahan, biaya konpensasi, dan perekrutan tenaga kerja. Faktor-faktor ini terjadi, karena klaim sepihak dan pengelolaan yang tidak efektif dilakukan oleh pemerintah desa dan perusahaan. Manfaat dari pengelolaan dan pemanfaatan tersebut, hanya dirasakan oleh aktor-aktor tertentu yang memiliki akses terhadap sumberdaya, sedangkan aktor-aktor lain tidak mendapatkan manfaat. Kata kunci: Sumberdaya agraria, konflik, Maluku Barat Daya