For more than a half-century, Indonesia's government-backed economic development has been based on exploiting and exporting the vast natural resource wealth in its waters and forests— often to the detriment of Indigenous People who historically occupied these areas. This exploitation has also gone against the customary laws of those Indigenous People. While activists, politicians, media and government officials, including Indonesia's president, have made progress on indigenous communities' land rights, there is still a long battle ahead to restore customary forest governance amid a contradictory and convoluted policy landscape. A 2013 legal opinion from Indonesia's Constitutional Court opened the door for indigenous communities to reclaim customary lands. Evidence from Indonesia and the rest of the world suggests this would benefit forests and the climate: forests held by indigenous communities see less deforestation. In Indonesia, where the national climate commitment under the Paris Agreement hinges on keeping forests intact, Indigenous Communities could be the key to climate action. The Gajah Bertalut community of Riau in Sumatra, for example, has an impressive record of using traditional resource management, known as adat, to protect forests that could serve as a model for other such communities in Indonesia.