This article is about the strategic use of adat arguments in the politics of large-scale land acquisition. While customary (adat) communities are commonly depicted as small local minorities living in the forests and being guardians of the environment, in many situations such communities occupy a majority position within the district. Majority adat communities are internally differentiated into categories of actors with varying and conflicting interests. This article focuses on Sumba in eastern Indonesia, where state and adat powers are not opposed but historically aligned.

Land is a valuable and finite resource, particularly in a small country such as Israel. A variety of drives, such as: urbanization and smart utilization of space, is prompting the stakeholders to promote new land policies. These policies should reflect the societal needs and demands as well as factor in and balance between numerous aspects. Furthermore, in recent years the ecological angle, forest and species preservation have become more and more acute, urging in turn for an even stricter land related actions.

Spatial plan (or urban plan) as an aggregate product of sectoral policies (i.e., environmental, disaster management, economy, forestry), will be imposed to all land parcels in the form of public law to achieve the vision of a city. This vision relies heavily on the interoperability of land-use, land tenure, land value, and land development. The inseparability between land administration and spatial planning is widely acknowledged by cadaster communities in achieving sustainable development and important for landowners and investors alike.