CSO/NGO Coalition in West Papua, Refuse the Conservation Province Policy

Press release in Matoa Cafe, Manokwari. Photo: Cahaya Papua

Cahaya Papua -the local newspaper in Manokwari on their main page at December 13 putting a press released from the CSO/NGO Coalition in West Papua about Conservation Province policy that the current governor Mr Atururi has announced a year ago. In tight words the refused this policy because they considered its not clearly recognize the rights of Indigenous Papuan and not consistent with current land uses and forests development agenda that far from conservation. The coalition is consist of Nine organization include: Papuana Conservation, Paradisea, Kamuki Papua, Mnukwar Papua, Bentara Manokwari, Perdu Manokwari, Gemapala Fak-Fak, Peduli Sehat Manokwari and Jangkar Papua. In about two moths they have preparing their position paper with 6 argumentation and 6 recommendation in responded to the policy. Full resport of the paper (in Bahasa Indonesia) can be downloaded in the following link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BygScToA2HKFcGE5aldncFp2V1E/view?usp=sharing 

As reported in www.papuakini.co the coalition emphasized that there in no clear acts/words in the legal draft that mentioning and normatively regulate about the right of IPs and their intelectual knowledge in conserving the mother earth. Abdul Solichin, one of the spoke-man said "in the time where international parties has clearly mentioning the important of IPs roles in global forests and conservation problem West Papua Province in their conservation policy are not yet clearly addressing it". Added to that Sahat Saragih as the senior NGO activist in Papua pointing out "it is important for the province to do full inventory and maps the territories of the Papuan IPs and then move with the conservation agenda based on the information from customary community. So all the conservation action are happen in and above customary land.". They also criticized the policy development process that using top down approaches and remain puts aide the needs to build public awareness.

Overall as they have mentioned in the Paper, the coalition will open and agree to supports this policy development if it is clearly regulated about (1) the definition of Papuan customary community in the facts that the relations of human, values, lands and resources are strong. (2) equal position on rights and responsibility in conservation development, implementation and evaluation, (3) the government is recognizing the right of Papuan IPs through provincial regulation, (4) securing the right of Papuan IPs to access benefit, (5) applying free, prior and informed consent (FPIC).

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5-7 Streategies on Youth Action for Social and Environmental Changes

Share an experienced in the camp. Photo by: Cahaya Papua

Manokwari, 19 November 2016, On the youth camp for social and  environmental changes I speaks as resources person shared experiences and knowledge on how young people could involves in Social and environmental advocacy for changes. Started with question on how young people could involve in the action to reduces the massive impacts of social and environmental changes? What are the steps they should takes as beginner in advocacy or facilitation activities to respond the problem the found in their community? Here I introduced 5 values and 7 steps that as young peoples they should have to mobilizing the resources and capacity they have to respond at the social and environmental changes around them. These 5 - 7 strategies are the summary of experiences i have during my involvement in the NGO works since 2008.

5 Values of youth development for social and environmental changes

1. Understanding what you have as personal capacity before stepping on action
2. Ability to determine the objectives of changes you will bring
3. Open minds and welcome to the inputs/critic 
4. Discipline 
5. Brave to take a decisions

7 Steps for young people to start and involve in social and environmental change

1. Conducts problem analysis to understands the causes and impacts of the changes. Taking a cases of larges scale oil palm expansion in Merauke, I said this parts is about understanding why the plantation is opened and why their areas been chosen? And the what are the impacts in social and environment driven by the investment? This is crucial to understand what are the keys component of problem we want to advocates. 
2. Determine objective and component of action. Based on problem and impact analysis the young facilitator should determining the aims and keys components he/she would works to respond on problem and bring changes to the problems and reduce the impacts he/she has analyzed.
3. Maps the actors - conducts simple mapping on actors both at the level of cause and impacts would helps young people to determine communication strategy on their advocacy. The actors maps would also guiding them in packaging networking on changes action.
4. Determine and packaging communication strategy to do advocacy for changes. In this step the young facilitator should able to come with shorts position papers of communication strategy that he/she will uses in advocacy
5. Creates and expanding networking. Getting more resources and relevant parties to be involve in the action that the young people would do is crucial. Networking will includes resources (human and financial) that available and commit to support the social and environmental changes actions that the young people already plan. 
6. Develop a resources calculation that needed by young people to execute the planned action per priority components she/he has developed. In other words the young people could develop simple working plan with all resources needed to implement the activities on the plan.
7. Determine and develop a mechanism to monitoring, evaluate and measure the performance. This tools or instrument will help young facilitator to keep check and tracking their action and measure the progress of changes they've plan to be intervening. Putting log frame as monitoring tools could be the easy ways of having the M and E tools.

Accomplished the strategies I shared 1 video about "how our worlds is changing" and two reflection on respects on what you have. The with tittle "home" showing the academic analysis and the facts on how changes are happen on earth and influence all level of live should be understood by young people. The investment that happening in Papua is strongly influenced by pressure on national economic growth targets that also influenced by global demand on goods for larges scale industry and most of them are to supports the human being needs. This introduction video summarize a messages that simple things that young people here in Papua are doing would have an impacts to the globe.

This event was organized by Bentara Papua and Kurabesi Papua Explorer with funding from Rainforest Foundation Norway. About 21 participants from several customary community group and NGO in Papua such as Moi, Abun and Kna in Sorong were participating.

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Long Term Forests Management Plan of KPHP Tambrauw is Publicly Discussed

Panel discussion, Mr Max, Dona and Sepus with Marthen Nauw as Moderator

Sausapor, November 16. Attending by 38 people representing Government, Customary Community, University, Technical Unit of MoEF and Timber concession in Tambrauw the one discussion was conducted to elaborate the current long term forests management plan of KPHP Unit IV Tambrauw. Specifically the discussion was aiming to gets a common agreement on spatial delineation of the forests areas that overlap among KPH, the turtle management body with the logging concession PT. Multi Wahana Wijaya. At the same time identified and listing the ideas to develop a good forests management partnership with customary community inside KPH areas.

Joined as resources person Mr. Max Tokede as the experts of Long Term Forests management plan, Mr. Dona Marewa as the head of KPHP Unit IV Tambrauw and Sepus Fatem the Bupati Tambrauw adviser on natural resource management. Mr. Max on his presentation was elaborating much on the basic concept of KPH and how its position on current forests administrative arrangement. Max also pointed out the difference between forestry department with KPH in the technical services and administrative control, in which all the administrative responsibilities such as licenses control and provision of resources are handle by forestry department while field based management and onsite monitoring to the forests uses are the duties of KPH. Adding to Mr. Max, Dona Marewa shows the spatial delineation and lists of forests resources management activities the KPHP Unit IV Tambrauw will do. They includes monitoring the uses of forests product, developing social forestry plots and facilitate forests products business marketing. While Sepus Fatem shared the overall idea and progress of conservation district agenda in Tambrauw and where is KPH position as the locus of implementation. All these presentation were accomplished the opening remarks by the Secretary of Tambrauw District, Mr. Engel Kocu that reminding all the actors that management of north coast Tambrauw with many different initiative should be packaging with clear community participation. Because he remains about increasing complain from the community sites. KPH should exists and create a good condition of partnership to help local government in addressing the complex problem in the north coast of Tambrauw.

Based on the Ministry of Environment and Forestry Decree No 630/MenLHK-Setjen/2015 total area of KPHP Unit IV Tambrauw is 155,423 ha with about 121,107 ha are in the production function. But jurisdictional acknowledge about 80% this forests are already granted for timber management licenses to PT Multi Wahana Wijaya and the rests are protection forests. On his presentation, the head KPHP Unit IV Tambrauw, Mr. Donna mentioned that to secure the social forestry initiative and partnership agenda with the community, the KPH has delineated about 15,385 ha of empowerment block or certain areas for social purposes. In here the pilots of village forests, community forestry, community plantation forests or customary forests will be build gradually. Donna then added that all this block are addressing to optimizing the non timber forests products and environmental services in the area. Meeting the good partnership mechanism that will be guiding the implementation of empowerment block is urgent for Tambrauw because based on customary boundary maps, all the areas of KPHP Units IV Tambrauw are inside Abun Tribes areas and indicatively based on AKA WUON Data there are about 36 clans that claiming the customary areas in this part.

Management Block Maps of KPHP Unit IV Tambrauw

At the close session, some summary was produced and listed as recommendation to be followed up by the KPHP Unit IV Tambrauw they includes: clear designation and arrangement of turtle nesting sites to be managed by the established management units. Community participation is a must so it recommended that the KPH should gradually talk and design the partnership mechanism with customary community in KPH designated areas to manage the certain area that already allocated. 

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Social Forestry Task Forces of West Papua Province, Established

One day workshop on Social Forestry in Billy Jaya Hotel Manokwari, 8 November 2016 has established the Provincial Task Forces to works facilitating the Social Forestry program in the Province. As confirmed by Mr Sahala Simanjutak - the Head of Social Forestry and Environmental Partnership Maluku and Papua Regional Body – following the national indicative maps they targeting to reach 254,581 ha of social forestry areas by the end of 2019. The social forestry program here are cover 5 programs: village forests (Hutan Desa), Community Plantation Forests (Hutan Tanaman Rakyat), Community Forestry (Hutan Kemasyarakatan), Customary Forests (Hutan Adat) and Partnership forests management scheme (Kemitraan) though empowerment block in the Forests Management Units (KPH). On his opening remarks he then noted that the task force (pokja) that designed as multi-stakeholder and cross actor forum to works with the responsibility since preparation, verification, capacity building until other technical supports that relevant to the business development of social forestry program. The establishment of this task force is legally regulated on the Regulation of Social Forestry and Environmental Partnership director no P.01/PKPS/PP/PSKL.0/5/2016 about the Implementation Guidance of Social Forestry Task Force.

In further, Mr Runaweri Hendrik – The head of West Papua Province Forestry Department emphasized that we have to seriously push this task forces and make it works to facilitate the target on Social Forestry. All forester in Papua been challenging to show forests are still exist and contribute a lot to development growth and the positive increasing of community livelihood changes. “Our role is to protect and manage the forests sustainably. In the relation to climate changes, forests hold crucial role counting by it covers. The social forestry program should also able to works under this clear targets in maintaining the forests reserve and covers” he added before formally opened the event.

There is no clear information about number of units that targeted to be built in West Papua Province but the social forestry units on its indicative maps has putting targets 254,581 ha spreads in 10 district. Of which about 14,550 of units has got the villages forests licenses. In detail the following matrix show the overall targets of Social forests sites in West Papua Province until the end of 2019:

No	District	Area (Ha)	Legal Approval (ha)	Village/Units
1	Fak Fak	27.062	-
2	Kaimana	35.788	11,005	Esania
3	Manokwari	23.037	-
4	Manokwari Selatan	2.727	-
5	Maybrat	1.840	-
6	Sorong	333	-
7	Sorong Selatan	18.901	3,545	Sira and Manggroholo
8	Tambrauw	12.403	-
9	Teluk Bintuni	122.045	-
10	Teluk Wondama	10.444	-
	Jumlah	254.581	14,550	3 Units

Participant that in total about 26 representing Government, NGO/CSO, university and private were agreed that the task forces should be the multistakeholder units that bring all key forestry actor into the loop of developing social forests program. Follow the Regulation of Social Forestry and Environmental Partnership director the composition of the task forces are not longer than 20 people, with head of the Forestry Department as the leader. During an hour discussion, the workshop has came up with list of recommendation and peoples who are appointing to join the task forces. From NGO in West Papua, there are Paradisea Foundation, Bentara Papua, Greenpeace, Samdhana Institute and AMAN Sorong Raya. The discussion also identifies about keys major issues that the task should pay an attention on:

1. Review and update the current indicative maps into existing potential social forests maps should become the early steps the Task Force should do. Because the current social forestry maps are developed based on the criteria and indicators that not yet considered number of units that still progressing to apply for the licenses. So assessment in to capture the tabular and spatial information is the keys activities in this partReview and update the current indicative maps into existing potential social forests maps should become the early steps the Task Force should do. Because the current social forestry maps are developed based on the criteria and indicators that not yet considered number of units that still progressing to apply for the licenses. So assessment in to capture the tabular and spatial information is the keys activities in this part
2. One of the challenges that influence the slow progress of social forestry program is on local government and community awareness and understanding of this policy and its technical regulation. The task force is responsible to conducts this awareness and socialization down to the districts government
3. Technical data base of social province in the provinces is crucial so developing a data base that include data of customary boundary territories and putting it into government system is the steps that we should do
4. Social forestry in the new regulation is cross forests function in which not only in production and protection forests are the licenses is applied but also in conservation area. Zoning and land uses spatial plan of the community together with their spatial territories maps is needs to understand extent to which are social forests sites in West Papua are potentially to be build
5. FMU/KPH is strongly recommended to cover all the social forestry initiative. They will provide capacity building to the community whose social forestry initiative are working
6. Bringing in private sector and commercial forests product players to become the co-partners of community would help them in product marketing and helps in setup stable markets flows include capacity supports
7. Customary Forests/Hutan Adat in west Papua context needs to be discussed further so the task forces based on Regulation will have a technical verification guideline to helps local government/community or NGO who are initiating customary forests licenses

Indicative areas of Social Forestry in West Papua delineated with white polygon in the Map

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Video: Sidang Adat Abun, Tujuan dan Harapan Penataan Hak-Hak Masyarakat Adat

Diawali dengan tarian dan nyanyian penuh semangat yang mengantar pada prosesi adat tikam Babi untuk panggil roh Nenek Moyang Dua Marga Besar di Suku Abun dan Mpur yaitu Wabia dan Yessa acara sidang adat 8 Marga di Suku Mpur dan Abun yang bertempat di Kampung Waibem ini Dimulai. Sidang adat yang digagas oleh Pemerintah Daerah dan difasilitasi aktif oleh Kelompok AKA WUON dan Marwasnath ini berjalan cukup padat, lancar sekalipun beberapa kesepakatan yang diharapkan untuk penataan struktur, kesepakatan batas adat dan penegasan aturan adat dari setiap marga tetap terus berkembang. Selain dari pada proses sosial diskusi yang pada dan sangat dinamis serta pada beberapa sesi ada ketegangan emosional ketika berbicara mengenai kepemilikan Tanah Adat dan sejarahnya saya sangat kagum dengan ketenangan dan kematangan kemampuan fasilitasi yang dijalankan oleh dua kelompok/lembaga yaitu AKA WUON dan Marwasnath. Ya mereka secara keseluruhan adalah pemuda-pemudi dari Tambrauw ini secara sukarela dengan militansi yang tumbuh dari kesadaran akan pentingnya penataan hak dalam upaya pengaturan pemanfaatan SDA berkelanjutan secara aktif memfasilitasi komunitasnya untuk secara serius mendiskusikan hal-hal yang bagi orang luar dinilai sangat sensitif utnuk di angkat.

Pertanyaan yang muncul adalah: kenapa mereka melakukan ini? Apa mimpi dan harapan yang mereka pikirkan dari proses sidang-sidang adat yang secara padat mereka fasilitasi? Bagaimana proses yang selama ini mereka lalui? Serta apa pesan yang ingin disampaikan kepada masyarakat adat yang lain? Berikut adalah video petikan wawancara dengan mereka yang secara aktif terlibat dalam fasilitasi sidang-sidang atau musyawarah adat di adat di Tambrauw.

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8 Clans from Abun and Mpur Tribes in Tambrauw Conducts Customary Assembly

Main plenary led by 3 young Facilitator from AKA WUON and Marwasnath. Photo: Yunus Yumte

Conducted with the theme "well regulates customary rights from now to reduce conflict in the future" 8 clans from Abun and Mpur tribes who live and acknowledging customary rights over the north cost of bird head of Papua extent from Sausapor to Saukorem are gathered in 6 days started on September 26 untuk October 1 in Waibem villages to discuss on the issues of customary land right. They are clans Yeblo, Yesnath, Yessa, Yengguir, Sundoy, Wabia, Yokser dan Marga Yokson. Beside these 8 clans, joined in this assembly their family from Byak clans Mambrasar and Mofu and Werimon from Yapen those had moved into the coast of Tambrauw for hundred years with long history of civil hongi wars and koreri expedition but has become parts and influence the social values in Tambrauw. Each of them has prepared and came with the information about their clan history, inheritance, territories, customary governance of rights and the institutional structure of the clan and openly discussion to got the agreement and acknowledgement by others. 

Overall assembly went under facilitation by AKA WUON (NGO based in Sorong) and Marwasnath (a new discussion group established by young Abuness). Both groups were did well facilitation and well control the tendency that often raised and psicologically conflict appear among clans once they talked about history and territories. Kundrat Yeudi, the appointed chief of Marwasnath and act as the Coordinator of this assembly on his opening remarks said that this assembly was conducted to: (1) getting comprehensive picture, information and data about history, inheritance that describe the claim over customary land right territories, (2) inventory, sketching the agreed clans territories and building the common recognition of the ownership rights and other rights that binding and recognized is living in community, (3) establishing the community consensus of customary institution governance to creates development climate that advantages to all community interests. He then added "this event is important to have a full recognition based on understanding of each clans territories. Then it should be binding with brotherhoods and solidarity value so the efforts to secure and manage customary rights are happening as a wide community not individual clan. This is crucial to facing the new emerging challenge in Tambrauw as the new districts that in high efforts to accelerate the development".  Metu Yesnath the head of Abun Sub District, who also the adviser of Marwasnath affirmed what Kundrat raised with emphasized "cultures and customary right claim are core parts of community livelihoods in Abun. These have guiding them and will keep control the activities the community are conducted in the land. So this big assembly is a great space and momentum understand territories and values of one and the others. The best result of this assembly will bring positive impact to the government in which all the activities the government is designing and implementing in the areas where land right ownership has clearly clarified and governed by clan can works well in active coordination with the elders and properly manage the benefit distribution". 

Beside Aka Wuon and Marwasnath in the front line as facilitator, this assembly was happening with supported from Tambrauw District Government and Samdhana Institute. This was the 3rd assembly after Miyah and Fef that Aka Wuon is actively facilitating the full process includes control the flows of discussion. While for Samdhana Institute, this was the 1st event they were contributed. But in Fef they had funded Aka Wuon to follow up the detail technical mapping and GIS digitazing for the clans territories been agreed on the assembly. So do with Marwasnath, this was the 1st assembly they were facilitated. 

The assembly was divided into 3 main event: (a) opening ceremony with cultural pigs sacrificing ceremony and then be continued with remarks. (b) workshop forum with discussion as the introductory materials to the main plenary and (c) main plenary/assembly, substance discussion until agreement process. In the pig sacrificing ceremony two main recognized clans Yessa and Wabia from apposite directions follow their customary territories performing tradition dancing while walking into the main assembly hall. The dancing was stopped in the place where pig was provided to be sacrificed. The procession was aiming to call the ancestor spirits and asking for their permission before go with customary assembly. Beside wild pigs the ceremony as also using the "kain timur" a traditional hand made wooden that become a symbol of cultures and tradition clothes of community in bird heads of Papua. 
Preparation to cultural opening Ceremony. Photo: Yunus Yumte

Workshop forum was went in two session: Session one presented resources person from Church leader and Samdhana Institute and in the session two the Papua gender activist and the field facilitator of Aka Wuon were in in the panelist. In summary here are the speakers and their material presented in this workshop: 

• The Head of Klasis GKI Amberbaken. He was shared the church perspective and efforts to build the unity of rights in love. He pointed out that land are always become the problem of conflict, event church building are something facing the uncertainty claim of right by several community. So making sure that the discussion is going peacefully are important and this can be achieved by putting the values of love and brotherhood in the heads of the elders. 
• Yunus Yumte, the Papua Program Coordinator of Samdhana Institute shared the material about legal protection, recognition and governance of customary rights. In his presentation Yunus shared the current opportunity with several national regulation that bringing the certainty for communal rights to be recognized. He also informed the participant about the progress of customary right recognition draft regulation in Tambrauw and asked all the community to accompanying and provides a significant inputs to this draft. Mapping, lesson from other places of which maps is the tools for right recognition are also parts of Yunus presentation. 
• Heni Lani, the Papuan Woman Activist shared the importance of acknowledging women roles in customary right arrangement. Heni emphasized that woman and land in Papua are one packaging of cultural living because women is the one that interacts very often with land. And woman take big roles in educting young generation about cultural values and human development.
• Aka Wuon was represented by Viktor Tawer. Viktor presentation was about "understanding the identity of customary community in Tamrbauw". During several customary assembly Aka Wuon is facilitated he notes that the main enabling condition for the successful discussion are in community and their elders. 

In the main plenary, the discussion was went robustly and serious with a lot of clarification and verification towards information and data that each clan is drafted. To accelerate the discussion on territories and history assembly was managed to spit the groups in to two follow the main clan. There was one group in Yessa that bring together, Sundoy, Yesnath, Yeusi, Yeblo and Yengguir on the discussion. Also Join in Yessa the groups of Mofu, Mambrasar and Werimon. While the other group is for Wabia and Yeblo Kre. Once they finished in the groups the result were took into the main plenary to be presented. 

Group discussion as side event of main plenary - talking about territories. Photo: Yunus Yumte

Until the end of the event there was remain disagreement among several clans because the problem of right of ownership recognition. Ones Isai Paa as one of the key steering person at the end of the event pressing all the leader to arrange follow up the dicussion after the assembly to agree upon their data and information. He aware that ended of the assembly are not as they were expected but this was the optimum results they could do. For those clans that social and right claim issues have been agreed on the next steps that Aka Wuon and Marwasnath will do is technical GPS mapping and final GIS digitizing. 

Situation in the main plenary hall. Photo: Yunus Yumte

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No Conservation Without Recognition the Rights and Role of IPs in Tambrauw

Tambrauw Beach and Mountation Forests. Photo: Yunus

IPs and Conservation

In March 2016, Strong voices came up in Out meeting from Mr. Ignasius Baru, the leader of Miyah tribe in the meeting of Two district regulation draft about customary right recognition and conservation district development. He said "community not understanding what conservation is. If what the government meant with conservation is just to say no for community to access on their resources in their customary territories, then I would say we the IPs of Tambrauw especially in Miyah tribe refuse the design of Tambrauw as conservation district". Adding to that, Victor Sundoy who is actually works in conservation management body but originally part of Abun tribes community emphasized that "Conservation need to be clearly packages because in facts we have to criminalize community once they want to touch the forests resources such as timber because conservation has say no to open the forests or extracting the resource from it. The fact the Tambrauw is 80% protected and conservation forests are not realistic if we looks from the perspective of how strong is customary community relation with the land and their high dependency on it". Despite of this complain and objection to the conservation most of the community leader who joined the discussion shown their agreement on protecting the potential resources, secret places and preserving exotic animal and ecosystem that they sees as the strength in Tambrauw that cannot found in other places.

So what are the gaps here? If the community are acknowledged the important of protecting some exotic species, landscape and ecosystem and the secret places in their are why they refused conservation that actually having the same meaning? Back to the definition, value and benefit of conservation forests may could leads us to answer the question and curiosity of the community in Tambrauw objection to conservation. As I understand from law no 5 of 1994 about Biodiversity Conservation, conservation is about wises and balance uses of forests to increase people livelihoods and sustainability ecologic function of the forests. It mentioned conservation should is implementing in (1) protecting the exotics landscape, species, ecosystem and function, (2) enriching biodiversity and (3) sustainable uses. Michael Lackwook, the Editor in Big Big of Managing Protected areas (2006) re-emphasized this that conservation or protected areas management are about clearly translating the values and benefits of them to the ecosystem and community. He notes that setting clear objection of management protected areas could reduces competition and claim of benefits to it. Most of the conservationist and socialist are debating about the people presence and existence inside conservation areas which actually the cores issues Tambrauw is facing. Half ways of implementing conservation and lack of management scenarios to maintain values and benefits of conservation seems likes the roots of the problems and has creates miss understanding and miss perception about conservation in the community. Conservation actions and applying freeze regulations with only species and ecosystem oriented while in some part under-counting the balance of social development in related to conservation development that happening in long times has raised the critical objection by the community based on their half conservation understanding.

Exploring more: Budi Riyanto (2005) on his book "Pemberdayaa Masyarakat Sekitar Hutan dalam Perlindungan Kawasan Pelestarian Alam" has scientifically describing the connection of commmunity with nature and forests, he noted that meeting conservation objective is also about facilitating community to take parts in conservation based of the applied law. The new ICCA Groups actuallly has helped us to understand of how strong is Indigenous community with conservation and how their conservation approaches has living for generation and has successfully protects the forests. Recent 2015 study conducted by CIFOR that published in Ecology and Social Journal "http://www.cifor.org/publications/pdf_files/articles/ABoissiere1501.pdf" re-affirming long argumentation that 'no conservation without recognition the right and roles of IPs' and I think this is how conservationist in Tambrauw should learn through. Manuel Boissiere,et all in this CIFOR publication noted that "Natural resource management by local communities can be more effective and cost-efficient for large-scale conservation than government-sanctioned protected areas". The research with title: Unseen sentinel: Local Monitoring and Controlling in Conservation Blind Spots describing how community in up-stream of Mamberamo river has applying best but un-recognized approaches in control and monitor the uses for forests resources. Same as community in Tambrauw the community here in Mamberamo as described by CIFOR also acknowledging conservation and forest zoning that living for centuries.

Conservation District Regulation

Addressing the conservation, social and development issues that government is willing to see is about how balance can be realized, a regulation of conservation is designed. At the same time the government also draft the regulation about customary right recognition. The main of objective of this two regulation are to secure the right of IPs, with their access to managing conservation areas but also providing a legal frame of how official development plan can be implemented within clear arrangement of benefit to the land owners. Facts that de facto claim of right and forests resources and acknoledging sometime the development not applied according the community land uses zoning and management vision has pushing government and parliament to addressing the conservation policy that related to securing right and participation of IPs in the development.

Sepus Fatem, the Natural Resources Management adviser of Tambrauw District on his presentation keeps emphasized that the design of conservation in Tambrauw is not about conserve the way how forests function has been regulated by the ministry of forestry. But this about integrating national forests conservation targets with the community and government access to development. The core of conservation policy in tambrauw is to recognition traditional zoning living in community to be counted as conservation areas or else the regulation is trying to open the banned of access of community to the limited uses based on their needs and then control and monitor the amount to arrange enrichment and big protection targets on species and ecosystem that Tambrauw has. In this cases community with their right and traditional land/forests zoning are the main beneficiaries that government is paying attention on.  

Community Land Right and Traditional Values to Biodiversity Conservation in Tambrauw 

Community argumentation to refusing conservation should be respected since their are stepping from lack of understanding to conservation terminology that basically not coming from their own language and was accumulative of trauma in experiencing how conservation been implementing by conservation NGO/CSO and government units. "No conservation without right recognition and participation of IPs in Tambrauw" should become a basis on the design of regulation, approaches and management plan to managing conservation, official development and social empowering in Tambrauw district.

In 2015, the indicative mapping research conducted by Tambrauw Development partners consortium (WWF, Samdhana, Paradisea and AKA WUON) has recorded basic information and data about customary rights, land uses zoning and conservation approaches living with IPs in Tambrauw. The reports that presenting indicative tribe maps of Miyah and Abun tribes also describing local names and structure of decission making process of areas/forests and natural resources management within Tambrauw IPs. A year before that in 2014, WWF in collaboration with local facilitator from Abun tribe has also mapped and recorded the important places community in Abun is acknowledge. Their distributions that spreads from sea and beaches to the mountain with local names. For example, community in both Abun and Miyah has dividing forests based on the function, the reports noted: wiam ase (local words for virgin forests), Sre (similar to peatland but are widely spread up to the hill), Ruf (low land forests), Ora (active farming/crop land) and Etiam (degraded areas after farming). Beside forest the community also action zoning for hunting, the words Ramen, Rmoy and Fim are describing areas for hunting and places for animals to drink.

Regulation the government is providing together with capacity building and on-sites facilitation for the community to integrating their conservation and land uses management approaches with government land uses and forests management design seems like a basic task to do to meet what they are expecting on conservation development based on customary community land right and participation.

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Integrating Land Rights in Conservation: An Opportunity or Challenge for Indonesia?

In Hawaii US, September 3rd Yunus Yumte representing Samdhana Institute and consortium of Indigenous Community Conservation Areas (ICCA) Indonesia speaking in the forum of IPs Rights and Conservation sponsored by the IUCN Commisison on Environmental, Economic and Social Policy (CEESP). Given and updates of currents opportunities and challenges that Indonesia have in addressing the integration management of conservation areas that bring right of IPs as the foundation. Putting the overall contexts Yunus highlight some keys issues, progress and ways forward that Indonesia and all co-partners should do to realize this. 

Indonesia is the island country in tropics that have high potency of natural resources includes biodiversity. For conservation purposes the government has legally pointed 526 conservation areas that extent in almost 26 million all over archipelago with the largest are in Papua with Lorenz National Park that cover 2,2 million ha and extend from alpine zone into coastal in the island of Papua. Within it the strong values and claim of right by IPs or local community has living for centuries in this conservation are. As Indigenous People Alliance of Archipelago (AMAN) indicated that about 2/3 of classified forests areas are overlap with customary right of IPs. They has also calculated that in total there are about 84 million ha are claim as the customary ownership by the community. All these facts and date were presented by Yunus in this IUCN WCC 2016 session. 

Major challenges that conservation development in Indonesia face are to brings in local IPs rights, local wisdom and their values to be counted and integrated as the pole in sites implementation. Question raised by Yunus "do we want to have the freeze conservation approaches based on government regulation to be implemented or make it more locally adapted and socially integrated with the ways community has acknowledging conservation approaches?". Because talking about conservation in official context are more often be refused by the community in forests areas. Some of them the past experience are simply expressing 3 problems: (1) limitation of community access to the forests resources they are depending on, (2) long process administrative arrangement when they request for any public facilitties inside forests areas and (3) in few cases, decriminalization are always shadowing them for access to limited amount specific legally forbidden forests products. Addition to that Yunus shared the examples of how land use and locally classified forests function that living in Indonesis IPs specifically commmunity in Balliem Valley of Papua (see picture bellow). Recently the ICCA Indonesia recorded 14 initiative of conservation management approaches by Indonesia People includes Territorial Management in Menua Sungai Utik, West Borneo of Dayak Iban (local tribes in West Kalimantan). The Dayak Iban community has maps and delineate their territories together with its detail land uses plan and function recognized by the community.

Make about challenges question are positively answer there are several opportunities emerging in Indonesia both at policy level and action on the ground. As presented the emerging and positive momentum in Indonesia as follow: 

• Constitutional Court Decision No 35 and 45 of 2012 About Adat/Customary Forests. Which clearly emphasized that customary forests are not the state forests and should be managed follow local wisdom and norms that living with the community. 
• Environmental Law no 32 of 2009 on Strategic Environmental Assessment. Emphasizing the important of holistic social and cultural studies that potentially impacted by the implementation of any specific regulation, program and policy - include forest function designation. The law also secure the role of community and their access to the resources within their rights. 
• Ministry of Forestry and Environment Regulation No 76 2015 on Zonation Criteria in Conservation Areas. This new established regulation has enable community to integrates the local wisdom and local zoning into the the current stated zones by having tradition zone that collaboratively assessed and delineated. This also provides an option co-management of conservation areas. 
• Ministry of Land and Spatial Plan Regulation No 10 of 2016 on Communal Rights. And Ministry of Internal Affair Regulation No 52 of 2014 on Procedures for verification of Customary Rights. 
• Forests Management Unit (KPH) for Conservation Areas and its management authority. Undestanding the difference of local specific forests problem, the government is developing the decentralize forest management that bringing authority of forests management at district and sites level. Establishment of KPH is seeing could bridge the gaps in currents missing action on the ground by have the forests management institution on the ground.

Reflects to the challenges and emerging opportunities, Yunus aware that there are big home works that needs to be done in clearly translating the legal windows above and packaging it on the applicable contexts. Despite is positive impacts, constitutional court ruling no 35/2012 together with others regulation are not yet working well on the ground. To keep these progressive there are several way forward that ICCAs Indonesia is recommended: 

• Clean and clear land tenure arrangements for local and indigenous/adat peoples in managing the conservation areas. Expanding and applying proper customary boundary mapping, social study and legal designation referring to the existing regulation are the actions that community in collaboration with other keys actor should do. 
• Integrate official conservation goals with the customary community development strategies using indigenous knowledge. 
• Engage local institutions in management of the diverse community based conservation goals. FMU, social forestry scheme and other locally forests management format that provided by Indonesia government are the potential space to take the forward action. 
• Regulate rights and responsibilities of the actors (local communities, local government and central government ministries) in managing natural resources towards conservation goals. Having a co-management protocols and join implementation program that integrated each ointegrather are crucial to reduce the conflict of access and claim right.
• Bringing more young people involve in locally conservation management activities. Understanding the problem of sustainability of value and conservation codes, bringing more young people to learn, deeply valuing and absorb the conservation mainstream are crucial to maintain the sustainability of integrated conservation management agenda. 

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Preparing Sira - Manggroholo Village Forests Facilitator

Training Participant, Bentara Papua, Province Department and Community from Sira-Manggroholo. Photo: Bentara Papua

In Manokwari, 18 - 20 August 2016 Bentara Papua (local NGO based in Manokwari) in collaboration with Samdhana Institute and supported by Good Energies Foundation facilitated intensive training to understand A - Z of village forests policy and facilitation requirement. The overall objective of this 3 days training was to build a complete understanding and knowledge about village forests scheme and sets up collaborative ways forward of field activities in Sira and Manggroholo - South Sorong. Eko Dharmawan the village forests facilitator whose been working in this policy and facilitation since 2010 with Flora and Fauna International (FFI) taking a lead of all the process and discussion in Bentara Office. Join in this training the representation from Sira and Manggroholo - the two villages in West Papua that continuously working with Bentara Papua, Green Peace and Samdhana Institute on village forests facilitation. They includes: the head of two villages, the field facilitator Mr Arkilaus Kladit, chief of village forests management body (LPHD) of both villages.  

Both Sira and Manggroholo have got the legal designation areas through Ministry of Forestry Regulation (SK Menhut) in 18 September 2014 that cover total areas of 3,545 ha. Recently they are waiting for the governor Decree about forests management licenses that submitted in May 2016 to secure the legally of Long Term Village Forests Management and its implementation.  Mr. Herman Remetwa the head of Community Development units at Forestry Department of West Papua Province in his session mentioned that it licenses is now in the table of legal unit at Government office and expected to be released by September before the ministry of forestry decree ended. In addition he added that it is a time to build a productive collaboration to help community in Sira and Manggroholo as model for West Papua. Forestry Department at provinces level will puts on program and their budgets to co-partnering in supports this initiative so this bridge of activities are a positive momentum to connecting the program.

Eko was comprehensively shared the knowledge that written in the village regulation and experience he and FFI gots from Kalimantan. Some keys component he was presented were:

• Definition and principle values of villages forests and it relevant to Sira and Manggroholo contexts. He summarizing the detail norms with keys prerequisites that each facilitator should understand about village forests. 
• Long term management plan of village forests (RPHD) includes the ways how village management body (LPHD) how take a lead of the process in the ground. Making sure that the plans are properly developed based on specific potential products in the villages are the core. The plan should also clearly describe the business plans and detail land zoning arrangement. 
• Forests products uses, marketing and their legal contexts in village forests scheme 
• Social consolidation by the community - taking case from Kapuas Hulu that he facilitating. It is going well because community is doing this policy seriously and lead the process on the ground 
• Collaboration with keys government units. Specifically the roles of Ministry of Forests, Forestry Department at Province/District and Village development units at provinces and district. Eko is also shared the possibilities of access fund through village fund that since last year have been distributed. 

All the training was closed with a reflection by each participant. Yunus Yumte, the Samdhana Papua Program coordinator joined in the last day shared his knowledge and organization reflection they learned from the project in Kaimana that closed in 2014 that basically about commitment and active participation of all keys village forests actor. He also reminding the community that they are in the front line to determine whether this initiative would works progressively of not and advised both Bentara and Village forests management body to putting high attention of creating new facilitator from the villages. As addition Mr. Arkilaus kladit raised their expectation to see these two village could works well with active facilitation by Bentara Papua, Green Peace and Samdhana Institute. 

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Opini : Sago in Papua and Their Current Investment

Natural Sago Plots in Kais South Sorong, West Papua

In the new Year of 2016, Indonesia President Mr. Joko Widodo (JOKOWI) visited and officially opened the biggest modern Sago Factory in Indonesia belong to PT. Perhutani Persero. Eventhough there is no clear info who is the owners and legal manager of the concession now but since 2013 about 40,000 ha of Sago plots in Kais, Metamani and Kokoda of South Sorong District has been granted for big commercial sago industry. As confirmed by the the General Manager PT Perhutani in Kompas January 1/2016 that they targeting to manages 30,000 Ton of sago starch every year. The total 150billion rupiah investment is targeted to gets the annual revenue up to 100 billion rupiah from their overall annual production. Japan, chine and Taiwan become the targets of investment markets that PT Perhutani has putting.

But there are big question appearing here at the customary community those in de facto claim the sago plots as their land rights about the benefits and cost of impacts they would gets from the investment. Jokowi on his opening speech pointed out his wishes to the industry could bring social changes at the community level. Despite of their positive targets in bringing up economic growth and revenues to the state the high targets of exploitation of natural sago could creates ecological problems or event raw material scarcity. West Papua provinces actually has experienced with sago Industry in Arandai Teluk Bintuni about 12 year ago ran by PT Jayanti Group that exploited large number of sago trunk without proper replanting or sustainable plantation plan. The overcapacity of Industry and in consistent calculation of natural sago production make the quick scarcity from the initial planned. 

Papua is the mother of Sago and become the most richest sago plots in the world with total about 1,25 million ha as confirmed by Bakorsurtanal in 1996 and remain validated by Flach, Karafir et all  in 2006. Jayapura, Waropen, South Sorong, Bintuni Bay and Merauke are the major place with larges sago plots. Not only large in areas the sago in Papua is also richest in species or variety. 2006 International sago symposium in Jayapura on their report showing surprising number which are more that 30 sago specifies in Papua with Metroxylon Sagu and Metroxylon rumphii as the two famous species and their spread from the coast line to 700 m above sea level. When Yunus Yumte did his research in South Sorong 8 years ago he found that mature sago trees could reach the diameter of 64 cm and tall without leave up to 27 m within he calculated that total sago powder that community could produce from one mature sago tree up to 800kg. This mostly harvested and extracted in 2 weeks using traditional technique.

Ecologically sago plots/forests are part of the vulnerable ecosystem because it is the natural wall for sea water infiltration, abrasion because of gradual wave, and regulator of fresh water to the people. Sago is also home of big number of biodiversity includes birds, swamp snake and wild pigs. Socially sago is the symbol of culture for Papuan, natural building material and source of foods for people. Which means changing sago purposes into industry will enormously changes its social and ecological functions. So expanding sago plantation in Papua is about understanding the social and ecological vulnerability of changes.

Sago for local Foods, Traditional extraction by IPs in Kais, South Sorong - West Papua

From my perspective and understanding the natural sago behavior that have limited lifetime the concept and designing of sustainable sago plantation with social orientation may needs to be putted as the key principle on its investment protocol before expanding the licenses. The correlation of community livelihood, rights and claim to sago plots should also aknowledge important to meets what Jokowi has wished. At least several early steps should be build includes:

1. Clearly understanding the ecological behavior and function of sago plots in each targeted investment sites. Place like Kais, Kokoda and Metamani for me is high vulnerable with floods because of theirs geographic position and waters that stored in sago plots. The plots that also in unity with swamp forest includes nipah palm trees is a home of large number of biodiversity. 
2. Sago for sustainable local foods stock. Delineating and secure the community foods plots at the beginning is crucial to provide a guaranty for sustainable local foods. large scale sago plantation should able to maintain the values and cultures of social assets includes local food security for generation. Not captured all the plots for industry and transform people consumption patterns into other non sago foods
3. Sago for mitigate the impact of climate changes to secure carbon in big amount. Even though only few study available about the carbon stock in Sago but sago that growth wildly in the swamp forests secure big amount of carbon. Transforming sago to other land uses purposes would directly realize amount of carbon to the air.

As addition to the since Sago is one of Papua symbol so having a regulation that protects and monitor the uses of sago for industry and legally binding to apply sustainable management plantation approaches are crucial to maintain the social, ecological and cultural value of Sago to Papuan. Further understanding the rights of IPs and their dependency to sago production are crucial to appropriately develop a partnership management mechanism and agreeing on benefit sharing of the rights to land and sago plant.

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