COP 21: Tambrauw and Jayapura Districts Shared the Important of IPs Rights Protection and Recognition in Sustainable Land Uses and Forests Management at the District Level.

In Le Bourget – Paris started from 31 November – 11 December more the 196 countries leader and negotiator were in robust discussion to meet the global agreement to saving the planet by the mitigation and adaptation action to reduce the impact of climate change. The historical agreement has been achieved and agreed on the closing of the COP 21 with huge ambitious target in preventing the 2⁰ C increasing of global temperature by 2100 in which all country must able to show their national determined contribution include the action to reduce emission from deforestation and degradation in forested country.

Considering the crucial position of Papua – Indonesia in the global climate change works the message to global audience about how important are Papua were conveyed at COP 21 in Paris. Together with it Brother, Papua New Guinea the island stored the last remaining tropical forests in Asia – Pacific and has been pointed as the world biodiversity hotspot. Current status of Papua forests are 41 million ha. The attended of the Papua delegation were also to share how forests and Indigenous People are in one bloodline that in strong relation each other. Two delegations From Jayapura and Tambrauw Districts Government represented by the honorable Bupati Jayapura Mr. Matius Awoitauw accompanied by Mr. Peter Kamarea and the honorable head of Tambrauw Parliament Mr. Gabriel Titit with accompanied by the district adviser on Natural Resources Management – Mr. Sepus Fatem were got chance to learn from International Climate Change meeting in Paris and shared their experienced of works at sub national level in related to sustainable development initiative and conservation district based on IPs rights.

On the IPs Pavilion event December 5^th, Bupati Jayapura talked about why the local government in Papua needs to looks at the strength that community has to enhance the sustainable development objective. Presenting all the action, achievement and plan they have in districts development based on IPs right he says that “it’s the time for community to reviving the values and governance that living with them for centuries”. Packaging all the activities using legal umbrella are the wise-safe and strategic ways that the government been doing to make sure that the national development objectives and intent are also inline with the spirit in right based development approaches.  In the same event the General Secretary of Papua Customary Assembly (DAP) pointed out that the Papuan IPs advocacy flow are now also need to be gradually shifted from ideological struggling to self- cultural and resources dignity in which taking part actively in the official developments to derive multiple benefit from it. He appreciates all Bupatis with the vision and action to recognize, protects and enable Papuan IPs to be strengthening and participating fully in development.

Jayapura District is one of the oldest district in Papua Island of Indonesia. It covers the areas that in total about 1,2 million ha with 96% are forests reserves. As the entry doors of Papua (red: as capital of Papua Province), massive changes has happening in the sites; population growth, land uses and forests development target, decreasing local cultural values and conflict benefits to Papuan are some challenging issues the government is facing. Acknowledging the absolute right of IPs, reminded that the customary values are in threaten by the new coming value and acknowledging their contribution on district development, the Government then in 2013 legalized District Regulation (PERDA) about customary villages. The regulation is the umbrella for all legal, strategic and technical program in the region to run customary based administrative governance at village level, include forests and land management.

In separated session the Tambrauw Parliament chief said that “development in Papua should able to appropriately address the problem at customary community as they are the high right holder of the areas where the development is been implementing” some of the development are delayed of the slow of right compensation problems. “The Tambrauw Government has starting to draft the regulation about IPs Rights Protection and Recognition and it is expected to be legalized by middle of next year (red: 2016)” he added.

Same as Jayapura, Tambrauw is the district that has an advance effort to push the IPs rights issues. But Tambrauw is the new district separated in 2009 from Sorong and Manokwari in West Papua Provinces. 1.1 milion ha with 98% of forests cover dominated by conservation and protection function (Red: based on Indonesia Forests Designation category). Tambrauw is one of the less-touched place for natural resources research, most of the recently research are conducting in the marine and coastal zone where the nested birth buffer of leather back sea turtles. Since 2013 the Government announced its political commitment as Conservation District in which minimizing the natural resources extraction while optimizing the green economic values for the district income such as water for electricity. The government acknowledged that in place like Papua, putting conservation as development compass are heavily challenging particularly from economic perspective so appropriately design the spatial projection that shows benefits from economic, ecology and social are crucial and at the same time should able to answer the poverty and human development target.

Both Tambrauw and Jayapura with their commitment and actions they been taking are crucial for Papua to build evidence based could be built to provide a Jurisdiction learning sites for other Papua decision makers. The learning cases where sustainable development would be possibly achieved by putting the rights of Papua rights in legal position, securing their rights and participation in development and assisting them to become the main development actors.