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).