Reconstructing a Land Rights Conflict Resolution Model Based on Local Wisdom and Legal Literacy in Kulim Subdistrict

Abstract

Land rights conflict is a recurring structural problem in adat-urban transition areas experiencing rapid land-use conversion, including Kulim Subdistrict, Pekanbaru City, where settlement and industrial expansion frequently collides with customary land tenure claims, while litigation is regarded as slow, costly, and disregards social cohesion. This study aims to reconstruct a land conflict resolution model that integrates local wisdom with the strengthening of community legal literacy. A normative-empirical legal method was applied through a literature-based approach and comparative analysis of customary land dispute cases in Riau Province. The findings indicate that customary deliberation gains greater social acceptance than pure litigation, yet its effectiveness is weakened by the community's limited legal literacy regarding land status, evidentiary procedures, and registration. The reconstructed model rests on three tiered pillars: strengthening customary institutions as first-tier mediators, integrating customary procedures into the formal mediation framework under Supreme Court Regulation Number 1 of 2016, and sustained legal literacy programs for the community. This model is expected to serve as a more participatory, equitable, and sustainable dispute resolution alternative for Kulim Subdistrict and other comparable adat-urban transition areas.