Growing demand for natural resources is pushing companies onto Indigenous Peoples’ and rural communities’ land. These communities, who collectively hold at least half the world’s land but legally own only a small portion, are losing their homes to palm oil plantations, loggers and more.

Some indigenous groups are trying to protect their land by obtaining legal titles to it. But in many countries, the processes for communities to formalize land rights are significantly more complex than for companies. Communities can spend decades navigating government-ordered procedures. Wealthy corporations can secure rights to the same land in 30 days to five years.

The infographic below allows you to navigate the process for a community seeking formal land rights in Indonesia, versus for a company securing an oil palm concession.

Although Indonesia has made progress, including a landmark 2013 court case that opened the door for formalizing indigenous forest rights, hurdles remain. Only about 20 indigenous groups have secured formal land rights to about 20,000 hectares. Palm oil plantations cover 14 million hectares.

You’re one of Indonesia’s 70 million indigenous people. Your family has called a remote section of Indonesia’s forest home for generations, relying on it for food, clean water, medicine and livelihoods. But recently, you’ve noticed areas of forest being cut down for agriculture. You decide to seek formal legal recognition of your customary forest rights.

You work for a palm oil company looking to plant several thousand additional hectares of oil palm, an ingredient found in everything from cosmetics to snack foods. You meet local politicians eager to attract foreign investment. You decide to begin the process of getting a formal agricultural concession in their district.

Get organized You may not speak Indonesian. You’re not familiar with national land laws. And there’s no NGO representative available to help. Understand land laws, and build consensus in the community. Map your land You don’t know what the map should include. Government officials were supposed to help, but they don’t show up. Petition local legislature to issue a regulation recognizing your indigenous community Convince politicians to include your petition in the legislative agenda. Lobbying elected officials can take more than five years. Wait for legislative committees to prepare a draft regulation; prepare supporting studies for them. You don’t know how to prepare the necessary technical studies or convene experts. Wait while Regional Assembly debates the draft regulation. You spend years lobbying politicians and organizing public consultations, but still can’t get enough votes. Wait for Regional Assembly to approve the regulation granting your community indigenous status. A timber company claims to hold rights to your land. Wait for government to publish the regulation in a regional journal. Submit customary forest application to the Ministry of Environment and Forestry Your area overlaps with a conservation zone and you have to navigate additional steps. Host government field visit to verify your community’s claim The government agency is understaffed. Wait for officials to show up. Get a decree from the Ministry of Environment and Forestry establishing the customary forest You don’t have political support. Your claim stalls until you secure it. You overcome these roadblocks AND receive your customary forest rights. You hit one of many roadblocks. AND STILL DO NOT HAVE CUSTOMARY FOREST RIGHTS. Indigenous Peoples and communities spend upwards of 15 years trying to formalize their land rights; most never make it through the complex legal process. Only around 20 communities in Indonesia have received customary forest rights, covering fewer than 20,000 hectares of land. Total time: 4–15 years Get organized Understand land laws, and build consensus in the community. You may not speak Indonesian. You’re not familiar with national land laws. And there’s no NGO representative available to help. Map your land You don’t know what the map should include. Government officials were supposed to help, but they don’t show up. Petition local legislature to issue a regulation recognizing your indigenous community Convince politicians to include your petition in the legislative agenda. Lobbying elected officials can take more than five years. Wait for legislative committees to prepare a draft regulation; prepare supporting studies for them. Wait while Regional Assembly debates the draft regulation. You don’t know how to prepare the necessary technical studies or convene experts. Wait for Regional Assembly to approve the regulation granting your community indigenous status. You spend years lobbying politicians and organizing public consultations, but still can’t get enough votes. Wait for government to publish the regulation in a regional journal. A timber company claims to hold rights to your land. Submit customary forest application to the Ministry of Environment and Forestry Your area overlaps with a conservation zone, and you have to navigate additional steps. Host government field visit to verify your community’s claim The government agency is understaffed. Wait for officials to show up. Get a decree from the Ministry of Environment & Forestry establishing the customary forest The government agency is understaffed. Wait for officials to show up. You hit one of many roadblocks. You didn’t get your customary forest rights. You are one of 18 communities who overcome these roadblocks. Your receive your customary forest rights. Indigenous Peoples and communities spend upwards of 15 years trying to formalize their land rights; most never make it through the complex legal process. Only around 20 communities in Indonesia have received customary forest rights, covering fewer than 20,000 hectares of land. Total time: 4–15 years Get organized You may not speak Indonesian. You’re not familiar with national land laws. And there’s no NGO representative available to help. Understand land laws, and build consensus in the community. Map your land You don’t know what the map should include. Government officials were supposed to help, but they don’t show up. Petition local legislature to issue a regulation recognizing your indigenous community Convince politicians to include your petition in the legislative agenda. Lobbying elected officials can take more than five years. Wait for legislative committees to prepare a draft regulation; prepare supporting studies for them. You don’t know how to prepare the necessary technical studies or convene experts. Wait while Regional Assembly debates the draft regulation. You spend years lobbying politicians and organizing public consultations, but still can’t get enough votes. Wait for Regional Assembly to approve the regulation granting your community indigenous status. A timber company claims to hold rights to your land. Wait for government to publish the regulation in a regional journal. Submit customary forest application to the Ministry of Environment and Forestry Your area overlaps with a conservation zone, and you have to navigate additional steps. Host government field visit to verify your community’s claim The government agency is understaffed. Wait for officials to show up. Get a decree from the Ministry of Environment & Forestry establishing the customary forest You don’t have political support. Your claim stalls until you secure it. You are one of 18 communities who overcome these roadblocks. Your receive your customary forest rights. You hit one of many roadblocks. AND STILL DO NOT HAVE CUSTOMARY FOREST RIGHTS. Indigenous Peoples and communities spend upwards of 15 years trying to formalize their land rights; most never make it through the complex legal process. Only around 20 communities in Indonesia have received customary forest rights, covering fewer than 20,000 hectares of land. Total time: 4–15 years

Obtain a location permit Submit an application to the National Land Agency’s regional office. Wait while they consult relevant ministries and landowners. Buy the permit from a local politician by acquiring shares in his shell company. Negotiate compensation for communities living on the land LOOPHOLE You don’t have to secure communities’ consent. You provide only minimal compensation to families who can prove their land rights. You have political influence over local leaders, which speeds up negotiations. You skip the remaining steps and start clearing land. No one stops you. SECURE REGIONAL GOVERNER’s APPROVAL Ensure your plantation aligns with the regional development plan. The local government wants palm oil companies for economic development. You get approval easily. get environmental permits Apply to the environmental permitting commission. Pay a consultant to get the permits you need. Wait for government officials to review documents twice. Wait for government officials to issue your permit and announce it publicly. Obtain further technical approvals & permits Ask the local Forestry Service to prepare a technical report. You already resolved technical issues when obtaining a location permit. The local governor is your friend. He approves quickly. Apply for a business license from the local governor. You start clearing land without a permit. No one stops you. Obtain permits for clearing forest and logging. Apply for permit reclassifying forest for palm oil plantations Apply to the Forest Ministry. Easily track your permit request on a government website. Other companies have skipped this step, so you do too. Wait for them to issue a ministerial decree. Secure concession Wait for a land agency representative to map and inspect land. You don’t bother to obtain this final permit for 4-5 years, because you’ve already started operations. You were careful to obtain all the proper permits, so you BEGIN OPERATIONS WITH A PALM OIL CONCESSION. You are impatient, so you BEGIN OPERATIONS WITHOUT OBTAINING THE FINAL CONCESSION. Wealthy, politically connected investors can secure palm oil concessions in as little as three years in Indonesia. The current land acquisition process favors companies that take shortcuts or exploit loopholes. Indonesian palm oil plantations cover close to 14 million hectares. Total time: 3-5 years, but you might begin operations sooner Obtain a location permit Submit an application to the National Land Agency’s regional office. Wait while they consult relevant ministries and landowners. Buy the permit from a local politician by acquiring shares in his shell company. Negotiate compensation for communities living on the land LOOPHOLE You don’t have to secure communities’ consent. You provide only minimal compensation to families who can prove their land rights. You have political influence over local leaders, which speeds up negotiations. You skip the remaining steps and start clearing land. No one stops you. SECURE REGIONAL GOVERNER’s APPROVAL Ensure your plantation aligns with the regional development plan. The local government wants palm oil companies for economic development. You get approval easily. get environmental permits Pay a consultant to get the permits you need. Apply to the environmental permitting commission. Wait for government officials to review documents twice. Wait for government officials to issue your permit and announce it publicly. Obtain further technical approvals & permits Ask the local Forestry Service to prepare a technical report. You already resolved technical issues when obtaining a location permit. Apply for a business license from the local governor. The local governor is your friend. He approves quickly. Obtain permits for clearing forest and logging. You start clearing land without a permit. No one stops you. Apply for permit reclassifying forest for palm oil plantations Apply to the Forest Ministry. Easily track your permit request on a government website. Wait for them to issue a ministerial decree. Other companies have skipped this step, so you do too. Secure concession Wait for a land agency representative to map and inspect land. You don’t bother to obtain this final permit for 4-5 years, because you’ve already started operations. You were careful to obtain all the proper permits, so you BEGIN OPERATIONS WITH A PALM OIL CONCESSION. You are impatient, so you BEGIN OPERATIONS WITHOUT OBTAINING THE FINAL CONCESSION. Wealthy, politically connected investors can secure palm oil concessions in as little as three years in Indonesia. The current land acquisition process favors companies that take shortcuts or exploit loopholes. Indonesian palm oil plantations cover close to 14 million hectares. Total time: 3-5 years, BUT you might begin operations sooner Obtain a location permit Submit an application to the National Land Agency’s regional office. Wait while they consult relevant ministries and landowners. Buy the permit from a local politician by acquiring shares in his shell company. Negotiate compensation for communities living on the land LOOPHOLE You skip the remaining steps and start clearing land. No one stops you. You don’t have to secure communities’ consent. You provide only minimal compensation to families who can prove their land rights. You have political influence over local leaders, which speeds up negotiations. SECURE REGIONAL GOVERNER’s APPROVAL The local government wants palm oil companies for economic development. You get approval easily. Ensure your plantation aligns with the regional development plan. get environmental permits Apply to the environmental permitting commission. Pay a consultant to get the permits you need. Wait for government officials to review documents twice. Wait for government officials to issue your permit and announce it publicly. Obtain further technical approvals & permits You already resolved technical issues when obtaining a location permit. Ask the local Forestry Service to prepare a technical report. The local governor is your friend. He approves quickly. Apply for a business license from the local governor. You start clearing land without a permit. No one stops you. Obtain permits for clearing forest and logging. Apply for permit reclassifying forest for palm oil plantations Apply to the Forest Ministry. Easily track your permit request on a government website. Wait for them to issue a ministerial decree. Other companies have skipped this step, so you do too. Secure concession Wait for a land agency representative to map and inspect land. You don’t bother to obtain this final permit for 4-5 years, because you’ve already started operations. You were careful to obtain all the proper permits, so you BEGIN OPERATIONS WITH A PALM OIL CONCESSION. You are impatient, so you BEGIN OPERATIONS WITHOUT OBTAINING THE FINAL CONCESSION. Wealthy, politically connected investors can secure palm oil concessions in as little as three years in Indonesia. The current land acquisition process favors companies that take shortcuts or exploit loopholes. Indonesian palm oil plantations cover close to 14 million hectares. Total time: 3-5 years, BUT you might begin operations sooner

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This story was created by Laura Notess, Dean Affandi, Peter Veit, Carni Klirs, Sarah Parsons and Sophie Boehm.