MAPPING CUSTOMARY SPATIAL STRUCTURE FOR SPATIAL PLANNING INTEGRATION IN THE MERATUS GEOPARK
Main Article Content
Abstract
Geopark management increasingly requires approaches that connect landscape conservation with the spatial systems embedded in local communities. In the Meratus Geopark, this issue is particularly important because several customary territories have recently obtained formal legal recognition, while their spatial structures remain only weakly translated into formal spatial planning frameworks. This study aims to identify and map the customary spatial structure of four formally recognized customary law communities in Loksado District and to assess its relevance as an initial basis for spatial integration in the Meratus Geopark. The research adopts a qualitative comparative case study design, grounded in document analysis and spatial interpretation. Data were drawn from four decrees of the Regent of Hulu Sungai Selatan and their appendices, which contain profiles of customary territories, customary spatial categories, land tenure and access arrangements, customary institutions, and customary maps. The analysis combined structured data extraction, qualitative content analysis, cross-case comparison, and the translation of customary spatial categories into planning-relevant spatial functions. The results show that the four customary territories contain internally differentiated spatial categories that consistently correspond to protective, productive, transitional, settlement, and sacred functions, and in some cases to water-related functions. The study contributes an analytical bridge between the formal recognition of customary territories and more context-sensitive spatial integration in the Meratus Geopark
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
References
Ab Rahman, S. A., Zuki, F. N. C., Abdullah, A., Ibrahim, I., Asmawi, Mz., & Razak, R. A. (2025). Advancing inclusive planning: mapping the multi-stakeholder perspective and engagement of Indigenous development in selangor, Malaysia. Journal of Umm Al-Qura University for Engineering and Architecture, 16(4), 1677–1685. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43995-025-00202-4
Adekola, O., Krigsholm, P., & Riekkinen, K. (2023). Adapted institutional analysis and development framework for understanding customary land institutions in sub-Saharan Africa – A case study from Nigeria. Land Use Policy, 131, 106691. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2023.106691
Anaafo, D., Ayamga, A., & Bata Domanban, P. (2023). Custom, modernity, and stability of land rights in Ghana: An empirico-legal review. Cogent Social Sciences, 9(1), 2209366. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2023.2209366
Aragão, N., Costa, C. S., Domingos, R., & Francisco, J. (2025). The Customary Law and the Traditional Leadership Power in Angola—Their Effects on Territorial Planning Issues. Urban Science. https://doi.org/10.3390/urbansci9060207
Barianaki, E., Kyvelou, S., & Ierapetritis, D. (2024). How to Incorporate Cultural Values and Heritage in Maritime Spatial Planning: A Systematic Review. Heritage. https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage7010019
Briggs, A., Newsome, D., & Dowling, R. (2022). A proposed governance model for the adoption of geoparks in Australia. International Journal of Geoheritage and Parks, 10(1), 160–172. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijgeop.2021.12.001
Bupati Hulu Sungai Selatan. (2025a). Keputusan Bupati Hulu Sungai Selatan Nomor 100.3.3.2/113/KUM/2025 tentang Pengakuan Masyarakat Hukum Adat Balai Bayumbung di Kecamatan Loksado Kabupaten Hulu Sungai Selatan [Government decision, in Indonesian]. Pemerintah Kabupaten Hulu Sungai Selatan.
Bupati Hulu Sungai Selatan. (2025b). Keputusan Bupati Hulu Sungai Selatan Nomor 100.3.3.2/114/KUM/2025 tentang Pengakuan Masyarakat Hukum Adat Karukunan Balai Adat Datung Makar di Kecamatan Loksado Kabupaten Hulu Sungai Selatan [Government decision, in Indonesian]. Pemerintah Kabupaten Hulu Sungai Selatan.
Bupati Hulu Sungai Selatan. (2025c). Keputusan Bupati Hulu Sungai Selatan Nomor 100.3.3.2/115/KUM/2025 tentang Pengakuan Masyarakat Hukum Adat Karukunan Balai Adat Keturunan Datu Mayawin-Urui di Kecamatan Loksado Kabupaten Hulu Sungai Selatan [Government decision, in Indonesian] (Vol. 2). Pemerintah Kabupaten Hulu Sungai Selatan.
Bupati Hulu Sungai Selatan. (2025d). Keputusan Bupati Hulu Sungai Selatan Nomor 100.3.3.2/116/KUM/2025 tentang Pengakuan Masyarakat Hukum Adat Karukunan Balai Adat Datu Kandangan di Kecamatan Loksado Kabupaten Hulu Sungai Selatan [Government decision, in Indonesian] (Vol. 2). Pemerintah Kabupaten Hulu Sungai Selatan.
Burke, P. (2025). Attenuated, transformed and re‐inscribed sacra: Towards an ethnography of traditional land tenure in the Northern Territory now. The Australian Journal of Anthropology. https://doi.org/10.1111/taja.12540
Chen, X., & Liu, X. (2023). Quantitative Analysis of Urban Spatial Morphology Based on GIS Regionalization and Spatial Syntax. Journal of the Indian Society of Remote Sensing, 51(9), 1855–1864. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12524-021-01439-x
Dako, F. X., Setyowati, R., Herningtyas, W., Pujiono, E., Budiman, I., & Oematan, O. K. (2024). Verifying the Existence of Indigenous Peoples using a Socio-spatial Approach: A Case Study of the Boti Tribe, Indonesia. Jurnal Manajemen Hutan Tropika, 30(2 SE-Articles), 169. https://doi.org/10.7226/jtfm.30.2.169
Dawson, N. M., Coolsaet, B., Sterling, E. J., Loveridge, R., Gross-Camp, N. D., Wongbusarakum, S., Sangha, K. K., Scherl, L. M., Phan, H. P., Zafra-Calvo, N., Lavey, W. G., Byakagaba, P., Idrobo, C. J., Chenet, A., Bennett, N. J., Mansourian, S., & Rosado-May, F. J. (2021). The role of Indigenous peoples and local communities in effective and equitable conservation. Ecology and Society, 26(3). https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-12625-260319
Del Carmen Aliaga Fuentes, M., Pazos, V. C., Da Silva, C. P. C., Coelho, L. R. D., Menezes, É. S. S., & Da Silva, P. R. (2025). The Contribution of UAV-Based Aerial Surveying to the Planning of the Indigenous Women’s House (CAMI). Revista de Gestão Social e Ambiental. https://doi.org/10.24857/rgsa.v19n9-026
Deslatte, A., Szmigiel-Rawska, K., Tavares, A. F., Ślawska, J., Karsznia, I., & Łukomska, J. (2022). Land use institutions and social-ecological systems: A spatial analysis of local landscape changes in Poland. Land Use Policy, 114, 105937. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2021.105937
Dwipati, U., Ibrahim, M. A., & Abdullah, M. T. (2025). Assessing and initiating collaborative governance for sustainable geotourism development: A case study of Maros-Pangkep Geopark in Indonesia. Edelweiss Applied Science and Technology, 9(5 SE-Articles), 1406–1412. https://doi.org/10.55214/25768484.v9i5.7173
El Hamidy, M., Errami, E., Neto de Carvalho, C., & Rodrigues, J. (2025). Innovative Geoproduct Development for Sustainable Tourism: The Case of the Safi Geopark Project (Marrakesh–Safi Region, Morocco). In Sustainability (Vol. 17, Issue 14, p. 6478). https://doi.org/10.3390/su17146478
Fassoulas, C., Nikolakakis, E., & Staridas, S. (2022). Digital Tools to Serve Geotourism and Sustainable Development at Psiloritis UNESCO Global Geopark in COVID Times and Beyond. In Geosciences (Vol. 12, Issue 2, p. 78). https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences12020078
Ferdowsi, S., & Németh, K. (2026). Geoparks Management in Tourism Destinations: Integrating Development and Conservation. Sustainable Development, 34(S2), 1034–1056. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1002/sd.70334
Fernández‐Llamazares, Á., Lepofsky, D., Lertzman, K., Armstrong, C., Brondízio, E., Gavin, M., Lyver, P., Nicholas, G., Pascua, P., Reo, N., Reyes‐García, V., Turner, N., Yletyinen, J., Anderson, E., Balée, W., Cariño, J., David-Chavez, D., Dunn, C., Garnett, S., … Vaughan, M. (2021). Scientists’ Warning to Humanity on Threats to Indigenous and Local Knowledge Systems. Journal of Ethnobiology, 41, 144–169. https://doi.org/10.2993/0278-0771-41.2.144
Follmann, A., Kennedy, L., Pfeffer, K., & Wu, F. (2023). Peri-urban transformation in the Global South: a comparative socio-spatial analytics approach. Regional Studies, 57(3), 447–461. https://doi.org/10.1080/00343404.2022.2095365
Fuseini, I. (2021). Navigating Traditional and Modern Institutions in City Governance: The Role of Chieftaincy in Spatial Planning in Tamale, Ghana. African Studies, 80(2), 230–248. https://doi.org/10.1080/00020184.2021.1911623
Geyer, Herman. (2025). Customary land management systems and urban planning in peri-urban informal settlements. Urban Studies, 62(2), 310–327. https://doi.org/10.1177/00420980241253790
Hill, R., Harkness, P., Raisbeck‐Brown, N., Lyons, I., Álvarez-Romero, J., Kim, M. K., Chungalla, D., Wungundin, H., Aiken, M., Malay, J., Williams, B., Buissereth, R., Cranbell, T., Forrest, J., Hand, M., James, R., Jingle, E., Knight, O., Lennard, N., … Collard, Y. (2021). Learning Together for and with the Martuwarra Fitzroy River. Sustainability Science, 17, 351–375. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-021-00988-x
Howlett, C., Brattland, C., Broderstad, E. G., Gross, L., Hausner, V., Horskotte, T., Kennedy, J., Larsen, R. K., Löf, A., & Seini, M. (2025). Including Indigenous Knowledge in Land Use Governance and Decision-Making: A Dialogue on Experiences, Challenges and Opportunities. Arctic Review on Law and Politics, 16(1), 139–166. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1163/23874562-20250004
Huang, A., Wang, Y., Xiang, Y., Xu, Y., Tian, L., Zhou, G., Zhuang, Y., & Zhu, L. (2024). A comprehensive framework for assessing spatial conflicts risk: A case study of production-living-ecological spaces based on social-ecological system framework. Habitat International, 154, 103218. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2024.103218
Iralu, E. (2021). Putting Indian Country on the Map: Indigenous Practices of Spatial Justice. Antipode. https://doi.org/10.1111/anti.12734
Kabra, A., Das, B., & Bathla, C. (2023). Indigenous tree tenure in the times of charismatic carnivore conservation: Territoriality and property in the forests of central India. Political Geography. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polgeo.2023.102841
Karso, A. (2025). Natural resources governance and the vulnerability of indigenous communities in Indonesia. Frontiers in Political Science. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpos.2025.1601480
Kiessling, N., & Pütz, M. (2021). Assessing Spatial Planning Outcomes – A Novel Framework Based on Conformance and Governance Capacities. Planning Theory & Practice, 22(3), 414–432. https://doi.org/10.1080/14649357.2021.1925951
Knickel, K., Almeida, A., Bauchinger, L., Casini, M. P., Gassler, B., Hausegger-Nestelberger, K., Heley, J., Henke, R., Knickel, M., Oostindie, H., Ovaska, U., Pina, C., Rovai, M., Vulto, H., & Wiskerke, J. S. C. (2021). Towards More Balanced Territorial Relations—The Role (and Limitations) of Spatial Planning as a Governance Approach. Sustainability, 13(9), 5308. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13095308
Kornecká, E., Molokáč, M., Gregorová, B., Čech, V., Hronček, P., & Javorská, M. (2024). Structure of Sustainable Management of Geoparks through Multi-Criteria Methods. In Sustainability (Vol. 16, Issue 3, p. 983). https://doi.org/10.3390/su16030983
Koupatsiaris, A. A., & Drinia, H. (2023). Exploring Greek UNESCO Global Geoparks: A Systematic Review of Grey Literature on Greek Universities and Future Research Avenues for Sustainable Development. In Geosciences (Vol. 13, Issue 10, p. 296). https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences13100296
Kuusaana, E. D. (2022). Customary land governance dynamics and its implications for shea tenure and ecology in selected peri-urban communities in Ghana. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, Volume 6-2022. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-food-systems/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2022.1033523
Lankono, C. B., Forkuor, D., & Asaaga, F. A. (2023). Examining the impact of customary land secretariats on decentralised land governance in Ghana: Evidence from stakeholders in Northern Ghana. Land Use Policy, 130, 106665. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2023.106665
Li, J., Tan, Z., Siddique, A., Ahmad, H., Rashid, W., Liu, J., & Yang, Y. (2025). GIS-Based Evaluation of Mining-Induced Water-Related Hazards in Pakistan and Integrated Risk Mitigation Strategies. Water. https://doi.org/10.3390/w17131914
Liu, P., & Biljecki, F. (2022). A review of spatially-explicit GeoAI applications in Urban Geography. International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation, 112. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jag.2022.102936
Malatyinszki, S., Kálmán, B. G., & Dávid, L. D. (2025). The Role Of Geoparks In Sustainable Tourism Development: A Case Study Approach. Geojournal of Tourism and Geosites. https://doi.org/10.30892/gtg.59206-1438
Mammadova, A., Redkin, A., Beketova, T., & Smith, C. D. (2022). Community Engagement in UNESCO Biosphere Reserves and Geoparks: Case Studies from Mount Hakusan in Japan and Altai in Russia. In Land (Vol. 11, Issue 2, p. 227). https://doi.org/10.3390/land11020227
Mansourihanis, O., Maghsoodi Tilaki, M. J., Yousefian, S., & Zaroujtaghi, A. (2023). A Computational Geospatial Approach to Assessing Land-Use Compatibility in Urban Planning. In Land (Vol. 12, Issue 11, p. 2083). https://doi.org/10.3390/land12112083
Milanese, A. L., & Sibilla, M. (2025). Indigenous knowledge in territorial planning. An interdisciplinary conceptual framework. International Journal of Urban Sustainable Development, 17(1), 230–251. https://doi.org/10.1080/19463138.2025.2569341
Mo, J., Sun, P., Shen, D., Li, N., Zhang, J., & Wang, K. (2023). Simulation Analysis of Land-Use Spatial Conflict in a Geopark Based on the GMOP–Markov–PLUS Model: A Case Study of Yimengshan Geopark, China. In Land (Vol. 12, Issue 7, p. 1291). https://doi.org/10.3390/land12071291
Morgan, H. (2022). Conducting a Qualitative Document Analysis. The Qualitative Report, 27(1), 64–77. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2022.5044
Musikhin, I., & Karpik, A. (2023). Use of GIS technology and cellular automata for modeling multiple socio-economic scenarios of regional spatial development and inter-regional cooperation. Geospatial Information Science, 26(1), 71–93. https://doi.org/10.1080/10095020.2023.2182237
Nkosi, D., Moyo, T., & Musonda, I. (2022). Unlocking Land for Urban Agriculture: Lessons from Marginalised Areas in Johannesburg, South Africa. Land. https://doi.org/10.3390/land11101713
Pereira, J. D. (2023). Colonialism and Customary Land Tenure in Africa: Portuguese Representations and Policies During the 19th and 20th Centuries. African Studies, 82, 332–347. https://doi.org/10.1080/00020184.2024.2307553
Perez, M. (2022). Integrating perspectives for conversations on territory: turning to indigenous knowledge to inform policy and practice. The Annals of Regional Science, 71, 145–170. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00168-022-01158-2
Ristiawan, R., Huijbens, E. H., & Peters, K. (2024). Apprehending Land Value Through Tourism in Indonesia: Commodification of Rural Landscapes Through Geoparks. Tijdschrift Voor Economische En Sociale Geografie, 115(1), 170–186. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/tesg.12597
Ristiawan, R., Huijbens, E., & Peters, K. (2023). Projecting Development through Tourism: Patrimonial Governance in Indonesian Geoparks. In Land (Vol. 12, Issue 1, p. 223). https://doi.org/10.3390/land12010223
Rivers, N., Strand, M., Fernandes, M., Metuge, D., Lemahieu, A., Nonyane, C. L., Benkenstein, A., & Snow, B. (2023). Pathways to integrate Indigenous and local knowledge in ocean governance processes: Lessons from the Algoa Bay Project, South Africa. Frontiers in Marine Science, 9(January), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2022.1084674
Rosado-González, E. M., Lourenço, J. M. M., Vaz, N. M., Silva, E., & Sá, A. A. (2023). A Literature Review of Geographical Information Systems Applications in UNESCO Global Geoparks. Geoheritage, 15(2), 58. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12371-023-00829-6
Sauls, L. A., Galeana, F., & Lawry, S. (2022). Indigenous and Customary Land Tenure Security: History, Trends, and Challenges in the Latin American Context BT - Land Tenure Security and Sustainable Development (M. B. Holland, Y. J. Masuda, & B. E. Robinson (eds.); pp. 57–79). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-81881-4_4
Simbaña-Tasiguano, M., Cabascango-Chiliquinga, E., Sánchez-Cortez, J. L., García-Frank, A., & Grefa-Shiguango, H. (2024). Geoeducation strategies in the Amazon, Napo Sumaco Aspiring UNESCO Global Geopark. International Journal of Geoheritage and Parks, 12(3), 465–484. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijgeop.2024.07.008
Sirajuddin, Z., Fitriaty, P., & Shen, Z. (2022). Pengataa, ToKaili Customary Spatial Planning: A record of tropical settlements in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. Forest and Society, 6(2 SE-Regular Research Articles), 547–569. https://doi.org/10.24259/fs.v6i2.14310
Sukarman, H., Prihatinah, T. L., & Santoso, U. (2025). Determination of Indigenous Community ’ s Forests as A Form of State Recognition of Customary Sovereignty. Journal of Hunan University (Natural Sciences）, 52(5). https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.55463/issn.1674-2974.52.5.5
Tang, L., Zhou, W., Liu, Y., & Ren, Y. (2025). Exploring spatial differentiation and obstacle factors of rural multifunctionality in metropolitan suburbs of China: Applying the “need- function-factors” integrated framework. Ecological Indicators, 178, 113848. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2025.113848
Ul Din, S., & Mak, H. W. (2021). Retrieval of Land-Use/Land Cover Change (LUCC) Maps and Urban Expansion Dynamics of Hyderabad, Pakistan via Landsat Datasets and Support Vector Machine Framework. In Remote Sensing (Vol. 13, Issue 16, p. 3337). https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13163337
van Onselen, V. M., Bayrak, M. M., Gladfelter, S., & Lin, T.-Y. (2025). Community insights on tourism development and nature-based solutions for increased resilience to coastal hazards at Caota sand dunes Geopark in Taiwan. Progress in Disaster Science, 28, 100472. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pdisas.2025.100472
Wegerif, M., Coulibaly, M., & Ouedraogo, H. (2025). Land Tenure Governance in the First Decades of the 21st Century: Progress, Challenges, and Lessons from 18 Countries. In Land (Vol. 14, Issue 4, p. 671). https://doi.org/10.3390/land14040671
Zavoleas, Y., Stevens, P., Johnstone, J., & Davidová, M. (2023). More-Than-Human Perspective in Indigenous Cultures: Holistic Systems Informing Computational Models in Architecture, Urban and Landscape Design towards the Post-Anthropocene Epoch. Buildings. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13010236
Zhuang, A., Stoffelen, A., Meijles, E., & Groote, P. (2024). The complex governance of protected areas: Insights from geoheritage and geopark management in China. Environmental Policy and Governance, 34(6), 679–690. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1002/eet.2118