Following the inauguration of Papua’s new governor, community-based spatial planning becomes a major test. The Papua Spatial Plan (RTRW) 2023–2043 has officially recognized sacred sites as cultural heritage zones—an important step to ensure that development does not erase history or local wisdom.
Through participatory mapping with Indigenous communities, 2.2 million hectares of customary land have been successfully mapped and are now being integrated into formal spatial policies. The challenge ahead: can the new administration safeguard this recognition and turn it into a foundation for sustainable development?
Papua is writing an important chapter: a moment when the state begins to learn from Indigenous maps.
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