Indonesia: West Papua Declares Itself 'First Conservation Province' in Indonesia, World

Robert Isidorus Jakarta Globe 19 Oct 15;

Jayapura, Papua. West Papua has declared itself as the world's "first conservation province" in a signed declaration on Monday, in an bid to formally dedicate its efforts to conservation purposes.

The signing of a declaration by West Papua governor Abraham Ataruri took place at the gubernatorial office in the provincial capital of Manokwari, and was attended by Home Affairs Minister Tjahjo Kumolo and West Papua district heads.

The West Papua governor admits to being the brainchild of the idea, which is intended on protecting and managing the province's natural resources in a collective effort by its residents.

“This declaration [of transforming West Papua into a conservation site] will help us maintain and manage our natural resources wisely and continuously so that [...] the future generation can enjoy them,” Abraham said.

In order to support West Papua's to function as a conservation province, the local government has created a working group (Pokja), members of which include the People's Assembly of West Papua, the West Papua legislative council, Papua State University, and international NGOs such as WWF Indonesia, Conservation International (CI) and The Nature Conservancy (TNC).

Together, they are in the process of preparing regional bills (Ranperdasus) to govern the conservation site.

West Papua is world famous for its rich marine ecosystem and diverse flora and fauna