Locally Control Forests - A Strategic Intervention to Protect Forest Carbon in West Papua

West Papua Province of Indonesia highlighted that developing community based forests management (CBFM) initiative as one of the efforts to implement low emission forests development action plan. Learning from the cases were massive deforestation are happen in the big logging concession, the CBFM initiative were emerge as an option to mainstreaming good forests management that align with local economic development. The scheme has also be considered could bridge the concern on integrating customary rights within locally forests development. 

Esania village in Kaimana District could potentially be the example for West Papua to sharpening their action. The contradiction between de facto claim of customary right and de jure state forests governance has put local indigenous communities in a position where they find it difficult to benefit from government policy to manage their forests resources. There are 9 customary communities claiming over 26,205 ha of forests. Of these, 24,664 ha are production forests (94%) in the permanent, limited and conversion forests categories. About 60% of the area is secondary (logged over) forest. Timber is one of the most influence forest product to the incomes of community. Even-though they logged on their own customary right land but legally they been claiming as the illegal logging because no licenses in hand. From the land uses investment maps, the village are suitable for oil palm and rubber plantation. Government has also puts on their plan to expanding such farming products but some of the community are refused and stand in the position to manage their resources.

Geographically the village are part of the district that  recently established in 2002 with total areas about 18.500 Km2 and 49,000 population – 76% of which are poor people. It lays on the southeast peninsula of Papua Island. In terms of reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation the site are plays an important role. Kaimana District holds about 17% of the province’s forests or about 1.8 million ha – the second largest area with forests in the Province - and is 99% forested. Of this area about 1,055,737 Ha (57.07%) are production forests in which licenses can be granted for forestry- related investment. There are 5 local tribes that living in the region and have strong claim of customary rights over the land, forests and resources - this is acknowledged by the the government as the special issues and factor that influencing the pathway of forests development program in the region. So having a good best practices on how community could manages their resources legally and sustainable within their rights are the home works that the government has. 

Position of the locally control forests activities through village forests in Esania is crucial both for the district and the provinces to showing the how low carbon development would works at the community level with clear tenure rights and secure legal licenses from the Government. The recent study conducted by Samdhana institute and Papua State University shows that the Esania forests contain 7 million tonnes of carbon within there major types of forests: dry land primary forests, dry land secondary forests and swamp forests. The matrix bellow in summary provides us the complete analysis of above biomass calculation of carbon storing in Esania forests. 

No	Official Forest Function Category	Areas (ha)	Average CO2e tonnes/Ha	C-Stock In Esania (million tonnes CO2e)	%
1	Permanent Production	16,657.70	230	3.8	54
2	Limited Production	3,300.10	230	0.8	11
3	Conversion Production	4,706.40	230	1.1	15
4	Protection (mangrove)	1,381.00	1,028	1.4	20
5	Water body	160.10		0	0
	Total	26,205.80		7.1	100

This figures points out the importance of village forests and any locally control forests initiative in protection of carbon stock. Changing the forests covers in Esania from forests into non forests would have a directs implication to the increasing of carbon emission in the region.