household of 12.4 ha. Table 23.1 shows the manner of acquisition as well as the year
and the kind of land (peatland or otherwise). The ways of acquisition were through
inheritance, buying, clearing, and distribution. The distribution was mainly
conducted by informal leaders of the village as mentioned above. Clearing was the
most prevalent way of acquiring land. Table 23.2. Land acquisition by year
according to the way of acquisition.
Clearing forests to make farmlands is customary in the village. Some people said
that they paid uang pancang (cash advance) to the village leader (penghulu) in order
to clear the land. A study in Jambi shows the customary right to clear forest or to
convert it into privately owned farmland. By hanging a sign from a branch of a tree,
people can claim the right to a piece of land. Fallow land after dry-rice cultivation
under the shifting cultivation reverts back to the communal forest (Parlindungan
1978, pp. 15–16).
The data show the manner of land acquisition and the size of the land owned by
68 respondent-households. One of the former leaders of the village administration
inherited the land from his father, who had cleared it in the village area. Because the
village surveyed was first settled in the 1930s, the history of acquisition started
around that time. So, we can understand that land clearing started at least in the
1930s. Until 1994, the main way of the acquisition was an inheritance, buying and
clearing. Only after 1995 was there land acquisition through land distribution. Some
villagers said that the district government had initiated some land distribution to
promote oil palm cultivation. However, the majority of land distribution was
conducted by informal leaders as described above.
There was actually no clear understanding of the boundary between the state
forest area and the non-state forest area. The village head had no idea regarding this
boundary. One villager said the boundary was located around 1 km from the coast,
while another said the boundary was located around 5 km from the coast.
According to Map 23.2 and Table 23.1, the area outside the state forest area is
quite limited. Moreover, the boundaries of the state forest area may well change. The
Table 23.2 Land acquisition by year according to the way of acquisition
Inheritance
(ha)
Buying
(ha)
Clearing
(ha)
Distribution
(ha)
Not classified
(ha)
Total
(ha)
1935–1944
1.2
–
–
–
–
1.2
1945–1954
2.0
–
–
–
–
2.0
1955–1964
–
1.0
–
–
–
1.0
1965–1974
–
–
26.0
–
–
26.0
1975–1984
28.8
19.0
52.0
–
7.0
106.8
1985–1994
17.6
29.3
133.2
–
–
180
1995–2004
44.5
65.4
114.3
94.2
8.5
326.9
2005–2014
21.8
20.6
2.0
92.5
2.2
139.1
Not classified 6.4
1.5
–
26.0
26.5
60.4
Total
122.3
136.7
327.4
212.7
44.2
843.4
Source: Authors’ survey at Tanjung Leban village, Bengkalis district, 2010–2016
23 Land Tenure on Peatland: A Source of Insecurity and Degradation in Riau, Sumatra
643
and the kind of land (peatland or otherwise). The ways of acquisition were through
inheritance, buying, clearing, and distribution. The distribution was mainly
conducted by informal leaders of the village as mentioned above. Clearing was the
most prevalent way of acquiring land. Table 23.2. Land acquisition by year
according to the way of acquisition.
Clearing forests to make farmlands is customary in the village. Some people said
that they paid uang pancang (cash advance) to the village leader (penghulu) in order
to clear the land. A study in Jambi shows the customary right to clear forest or to
convert it into privately owned farmland. By hanging a sign from a branch of a tree,
people can claim the right to a piece of land. Fallow land after dry-rice cultivation
under the shifting cultivation reverts back to the communal forest (Parlindungan
1978, pp. 15–16).
The data show the manner of land acquisition and the size of the land owned by
68 respondent-households. One of the former leaders of the village administration
inherited the land from his father, who had cleared it in the village area. Because the
village surveyed was first settled in the 1930s, the history of acquisition started
around that time. So, we can understand that land clearing started at least in the
1930s. Until 1994, the main way of the acquisition was an inheritance, buying and
clearing. Only after 1995 was there land acquisition through land distribution. Some
villagers said that the district government had initiated some land distribution to
promote oil palm cultivation. However, the majority of land distribution was
conducted by informal leaders as described above.
There was actually no clear understanding of the boundary between the state
forest area and the non-state forest area. The village head had no idea regarding this
boundary. One villager said the boundary was located around 1 km from the coast,
while another said the boundary was located around 5 km from the coast.
According to Map 23.2 and Table 23.1, the area outside the state forest area is
quite limited. Moreover, the boundaries of the state forest area may well change. The
Table 23.2 Land acquisition by year according to the way of acquisition
Inheritance
(ha)
Buying
(ha)
Clearing
(ha)
Distribution
(ha)
Not classified
(ha)
Total
(ha)
1935–1944
1.2
–
–
–
–
1.2
1945–1954
2.0
–
–
–
–
2.0
1955–1964
–
1.0
–
–
–
1.0
1965–1974
–
–
26.0
–
–
26.0
1975–1984
28.8
19.0
52.0
–
7.0
106.8
1985–1994
17.6
29.3
133.2
–
–
180
1995–2004
44.5
65.4
114.3
94.2
8.5
326.9
2005–2014
21.8
20.6
2.0
92.5
2.2
139.1
Not classified 6.4
1.5
–
26.0
26.5
60.4
Total
122.3
136.7
327.4
212.7
44.2
843.4
Source: Authors’ survey at Tanjung Leban village, Bengkalis district, 2010–2016
23 Land Tenure on Peatland: A Source of Insecurity and Degradation in Riau, Sumatra
643