Natural resources governance and the vulnerability of indigenous communities in Indonesia

Introduction Indigenous communities in Indonesia remain among the most vulnerable actors in natural resource governance despite constitutional recognition of their customary rights. Their marginalization is exacerbated by overlapping land claims, fragmented regulations, and limited representation in decision-making. This study analyses how governance law addresses these vulnerabilities and identifies legal–institutional pathways for stronger protection. Methods A qualitative design was employed. We conducted a thematic analysis of five core policy and legal documents and triangulated insights with reports from non-governmental and international organizations. A comparative review of global instruments—the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and ILO Convention No. 169—was used to benchmark Indonesian frameworks against international norms. Results Findings show that Indonesia’s legal pluralism remains weakly integrated, producing persistent uncertainty over the recognition of customary territories and inconsistent safeguards across sectors and jurisdictions. Institutional roles are diffuse, administrative procedures for recognizing customary communities and lands are uneven, and remedies for rights violations are limited. These gaps collectively sustain a protection deficit in resource governance. Discussion The study advances governance-law scholarship by proposing an integrated model that harmonizes state and customary systems through clear institutional mechanisms, standardized recognition procedures, and coordinated oversight. Aligning domestic rules with UNDRIP and ILO 169 principles would reduce normative fragmentation, clarify tenure security, and enhance participation. Policy implications include establishing a specialized national Indigenous Tribunal to deliver accessible adjudication and creating a unified land registration framework that formally records customary tenure. Together, these measures can promote more inclusive and sustainable resource governance in Indonesia and offer a transferable approach for other developing countries facing similar plural legal orders.