Between Forests and Carbon Trading: AMAN’s Efforts in Advancing Indigenous Rights in Indonesia

Abstract

This article explores how the Indigenous Peoples Alliance of the Archipelago (AMAN), Indonesia’s most influential Indigenous organization, mobilized advocacy strategies to challenge Indonesia’s forest carbon trade policy and advance Indigenous rights. Using the lens of policy entrepreneurship, it examines how AMAN employed strategies such as producing legal and spatial evidence, pursuing judicial review, engaging legislators, and leveraging electoral strategies to revoke the forest carbon trade policy and push for the long-delayed Indigenous Peoples Rights Bill as a safeguard. Based on semi-structured interviews and document analysis, the study finds that its efforts were constrained nationally by an oligarchic parliament, a different development mindset of the executive branch, and a closed judicial system in the Supreme Court. These barriers not only limited AMAN’s influence but also exposed structural challenges facing an Indigenous organization in climate policy. The findings underscore that supportive policy venues and networks are essential for transformative advocacy.