Since the 1920s, the Indigenous Peoples of the Kasepuhan Karang community have been unable to access their traditional forests. The forests in this part of Banten, in the western part of the island of Java, have variously been under the control of the Dutch colonial government, an early form of the Indonesian Ministry of Forests (1963-78); a state-owned forestry company, Perum Perhutani (1978-2003); and Halimun Salak National Park (2003-2016). Villagers attempting to access the forest to plant, harvest, or visit ritual sites or cemeteries, were frequently caught by forest police and jailed or forced to pay bribes.

After one century of struggle, Kasepuhan Karang’s rights to their traditional forests were finally acknowledged in a Local Decree in 2015, with access permitted since 2016. The people are now mapping the forests and developing a 20-year action plan. Part of this process involves identifying the four different types of forest areas: tutupan, land that may not be accessed by anyone unless permission is given by traditional heads to conduct rituals; titipan, land that cannot be disturbed because water sources and cemeteries are located there; cawisan, spare land that may later be used for village expansion, industry, or farms; and garapan, land that may be used for farming fruits, vegetables, coffee, and rice. The community plans to plant 27,000 fruit trees over the course of the 20-year plan; 8,000 have been planted so far, including 20 hectares of coffee.

The Kasepuhan Karang community is now fully in control over their livelihoods and able to manage food production – from planting to harvesting and storage – in line with traditional systems. Planting and harvesting cycles follow a unique local calendar, and by using leuit, traditional rice storage barns, villagers can store rice for up to 15-20 years without spoilage. Kasepuhan Karang is thus a strong, successful example of how Indigenous communities can maintain traditional lifestyles and livelihoods if enabled to do so by the local and national governments.

To maintain their traditional way of life, villagers have also begun small-scale tourism to Kasepuhan Karang. Residents of nearby cities visit to hike to waterfalls or relax in hammocks overlooking paddy fields. Tourist programs are managed by local youths who would otherwise be unemployed.