Mangrove Forest Tenure Conflicts: Institutional Approach to the Forest Management Unit Context in Aceh Province, Indonesia

Mangrove forests are shared natural resources that are always contested by many parties in their use. Forest resources are often a source of conflict involving various interested parties in these resources. Community claims that demand access to state forests often lead to social conflicts involving the community, government and companies. The purpose of this study is to present an analytical framework in identifying emerging land conflicts and how to encourage conflict resolution. Primary data obtained by participatory observation by looking at the condition of the mangroves which is a source of conflict for the village community. Secondary data are in the form of permit documents, cooperation documents, and reports. The selection of research locations was carried out deliberately with the criteria of villages that have institutions in mangrove management where conflicts of interest occur due to mangrove management policies. A case study looking at community-based mangrove forest management in the area of Forest Management Unit (FMU) region 3 in Aceh Province has contributed to formulating policy reforms in handling conflicts. The institutional approach has explained how informal norms influence institutional behavior in natural resource management and institutional approaches in collaborative practices, formal and informal institutions, as well as understanding policy issues by different actors in exploiting the situation. By using an institutional approach as an effort to identify potential conflicts and analyze local institutional arrangements to resolve this conflict.