Land and natural resource conflicts continue to escalate alongside rising global temperatures. In Indonesia, the response to climate change has yet to include meaningful efforts  to address land conflicts. In fact, efforts to tackle climate change through adaptation and mitigation, particularly in the land and forestry sectors, stem from the same root problems: regulatory uncertainty and resource exploitation without adequate consideration for sustainability.

The impacts of tenure insecurity are worsening. As rains become increasingly scarce and droughts grow longer, Indigenous and local communities in several regions face the harsh reality that fertile land is becoming harder to find. When land that has long supported livelihoods could no longer be cultivated due to prolonged droughts caused by climate change, the pressure to survive forces communities to seek new land — but the problem is that this land is often already claimed or occupied by others, including local communities and companies. This marks the beginning of tensions and escalating conflicts. Similarly, business operators affected by climate change are inclined to acquire new land rather than increasing the productivity of existing plots. However, this expansion often clashes with local communities’ living spaces and managed territories, highlighting the weakness of licensing governance.

The three key actors are entangled in this conflict cycle: communities, companies, and the government. Climate change triggers land conflicts, while land conflicts create tenure insecurity, which then obstructs efforts to adapt and mitigate through long-term, sustainable land management.

At the same time, uncontrolled land-use changes — such as the conversion of forests into agricultural plantations or industrial zones — have accelerated deforestation at a massive scale. As forest ecosystems shrink, their capacity to absorb carbon dioxide drops sharply, further accelerating the pace of climate change. This creates a vicious cycle of environmental degradation: climate change leads to forest loss, rising temperatures, prolonged droughts, drying land, and new conflicts. This situation not only exacerbates the ecological crisis but also threatens the livelihoods of communities dependent on land and natural resources.

In response to this challenge, in 2015 the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN) initiated the Conflict Resolution Unit (CRU) with support from the UK Climate Change Unit (UKCCU). The goal was to reduce risks and address land and natural resource conflicts, contributing to climate change adaptation and mitigation by fostering positive dialogue between business actors and local communities. The underlying assumption was that resolving conflicts would provide tenure security, enabling long-term land management. Additionally, this initiative aimed to create a favorable business climate for sustainable practices.

Over five years, until funding from the UKCCU ended in March 2020, the CRU successfully managed several land conflicts. These experiences provided valuable insights into the complex dynamics between communities, business operators, and the government regarding land and natural resource conflicts. For local and Indigenous communities, land conflicts pose a direct threat to their future. Access to previously free natural resources has been cut off, and some cases have even led to legal disputes. On the other hand, business operators face financial losses due to disrupted production and rising operational costs. Meanwhile, for the government, land conflicts undermine regional reputation and investor confidence.

However, one of the major challenges faced by the CRU was the limited availability of funding opportunities for addressing land conflicts within the broader climate change agenda. Over the past decade, the focus of climate change efforts has been largely on reducing emissions and rehabilitating forests, measured in hectares or tons of CO2. Conflicts have been seen as a “downstream” issue — like a fire that merely needs to be extinguished rather than prevented at its source. Although there is growing awareness that tenure security for local and Indigenous communities is key to climate change adaptation and mitigation, the policy perspective remains focused on “upstream” measures — namely, policy changes — because securing tenure for local and Indigenous communities has yet to become a meaningful priority in national policy.

Another challenge is that climate change and environmental considerations are often not factored into conflict resolution efforts. Conflict resolution tends to focus on short-term interests, addressing the immediate concerns of the parties involved. Yet, land and natural resource conflicts have broader social, economic, and ecological implications.

These key insights have shown the CRU that addressing land and resource conflicts is not merely about mediation — it should be part of a larger solution for protecting communities and the environment. If land conflicts continue to be ignored, not only will local and Indigenous communities lose their future — we will all suffer the consequences of a worsening climate crisis.

Photo by Dikaseva on Unsplash.