WWF

FINAL PROJECT STATUS BRIEF 2001

Community Based Conservation: Recognition of Rights and Roles of Adat Communities in the Management of Lorentz National Park

Yayasan World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Indonesia
Jl Angkasa Indah II No.6
Jayapura 99012
Tel: (62) (0967) 542 528; Fax: (62) (0967) 542 529
E-mail: wwflorentz@jayapura.wasantara.net.id

Geographical focus

Lorentz National Park, Districts of Jayawijaya and Merauke, Papua

Tropical and subtropical broadleaf forests/ coastal and marine ecosystems

Commencing June 1999

The Lorentz National Park is Indonesia's largest terrestrial conservation area (2,505,600 ha), covering coastal and mangrove areas in the south and extending up to alpine mountain ecosystems with snow covered peaks. It has been ranked as a conservation area of extreme importance for global biodiversity (IUCN Conservation Atlas of Tropical Forest, 1990 and Conservation International's Workshop on Conservation Priority Setting, 1997). Culturally, the area is also highly significant. It is the home of six indigenous groups who have maintained their traditional practices and ways of life; the highland Amungme (Damal), Western Dani, Gran Valley Dani, Nduga, and the lowland Asmat, Sempan and Kamoro peoples. Lorentz National Park was nominated as a World Heritage Site by the Indonesian Government in September 1998.

Since 1997, WWF Indonesia has been working together with peoples organizations from the Asmat in Merauke and the Dani of the Walesi and Pelebaga valley to implement the Lorentz National Park project. WWF Indonesia's local field partners are Yayasan Bina Adat Walesi (YBAW) in Wamena, Jayawijaya and Lembaga Musyawarah Adat Asmat (LMAA) in Sawa-Erma, Merauke. These two organizations represent the indigenous peoples of Dani of the Walesi and Pelebaga valleys, as well as the Asmat in Merauke. They receive direct technical assistance from WWF Indonesia in this project.

The objectives of this project and its key activities are:

Facilitate the development of local communities' skills and capacities in the management of natural resources in the Lorentz ecosystems. Targets of this year are to:
(a) complete training needs assessments for community organizers and YBAW and LMAA and produce training plans;
(b) facilitate adat deliberations to build a consensus for organizing and implementing the plan;
Facilitate YBAW and LMAA to develop community based natural resources management plans. Targets of this year are to:
(a) facilitate the development of a community based information system and build consensus between WWF Lorentz, YBAW and LMAA on training activities, testing the system and implementation;
(b) provide technical assistance to develop community based resources management plans in the two adat areas facilitated by YBAW and LMMA;
(c) provide technical assistance to YBAW and LMAA on communications strategies so they can provide services effectively to the adat communities.
Facilitate legal recognition of the rights of adat communities to manage natural resources in the two adat areas. This year's targets are to:
(a) study government spatial plans that include adat communities in and around Lorentz National Park;
(b) assist YBAW and LMAA to design a series of workshops to build consensus on the implementation of the natural resources management plans in adat areas;
(c) develop advocacy strategy to promote and obtain legal recognition of adat communities' rights in their own lands, as laid out by the Community Based Natural Resources Management Plans;
(d) to develop strategic allies and disseminate the conservation agreements and community based natural resources management plans to government agencies and neighboring tribes.

WWF recently restructured its organization and work in Papua, and confirmed that strengthening the management of Lorentz National Park is a priority. WWF believes that the best way to do this is to develop strong community organizations and local NGOs that can work with local communities to take on management authority and responsibility over the long term. WWF has partnered with both LMAA and YBAW.

WWF-Sahul provides assistance in project administration, and with LMAA and YBAW, they identified important issues to be addressed together. With LMAA they identified some important issues from the perspectives of local adat leaders: (1) leadership and organizational matters, (2) transparency, (3) natural resources based economics. WWF-Sahul's faciliation strategy now plans to deal with these issues through strengthening LMAA; and facilitating LMAA to have better communications with the local adat groups (known as FARs). This analysis also provides a more focused list of actions needed to refine the WWF-Sahul and LMAA partnership.

Since 1998, YBAW working along with WWF-Sahul, has assisted in obtaining management agreements. WWF Indonesia has an agreement with the Directorate General of Nature Protection and Conservation (PKA) to develop participatory planning processes in several parks throughout Indonesia, including Lorentz. They are working with local NGOs, in this case YBAW to develop community involvement in park planning and ongoing management. Important issues governed by the management agreements cover confederation area boundaries, clan-based adat area ownership, local land uses, protected areas (sacred areas), limitation of land selling with outsiders, and mechanisms for involving adat groups in the planning and development of public facilities and infrastructure, such as road construction. The actors promoting the agreements are adat elders and communities, YBAW, WWF-Sahul, and head of villages within the Walesi, Heatnem, and Ibele areas. The agreements are being used by local communities to expel outside hunters and orchid gatherers from their area. Adat elders have obliged tourists to be guided by local communities. Local government has neither shown their agreement or disagreement to these processes.

WWF organized training on community-based enterprises with Bina Swadaya for NGOs and community leaders in Wamena and surrounding areas. They also finished preparation of facilitation training for partner NGOs. In addition they organized two workshops with government agencies to promote community-based management systems with different stakeholders.

[ Bantaya ] - [ ELSAM ] - [ FPK ] - [ Hualopu ] - [ JKPP ] - [ Jaring Pela ] - [ KalBar SHK ]

[ Kemala ] - [ KonPenMA ] - [ KPA ] - [ KPSHK ] - [ LATIN ] - [ LMAA ] - [ LPPMA ]

[ Pancurkasih ] - [ PLASMA ] - [ Pro Plasma ] - [ PUTER ] - [ RMI ] - [ Telapak ] - [ WWF Sahul ]

[ YBAW ] - [ YLBHI ] - [ YPLHC ] - [ YTM ]



	FINAL PROJECT STATUS BRIEF 2001

Project	Community Based Conservation: Recognition of Rights and Roles of Adat Communities in the Management of Lorentz National Park
Partner	Yayasan World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Indonesia Jl Angkasa Indah II No.6 Jayapura 99012 Tel: (62) (0967) 542 528; Fax: (62) (0967) 542 529 E-mail: wwflorentz@jayapura.wasantara.net.id
Geographical focus	Lorentz National Park, Districts of Jayawijaya and Merauke, Papua
Biome	Tropical and subtropical broadleaf forests/ coastal and marine ecosystems
Timing	Commencing June 1999
Description	The Lorentz National Park is Indonesia's largest terrestrial conservation area (2,505,600 ha), covering coastal and mangrove areas in the south and extending up to alpine mountain ecosystems with snow covered peaks. It has been ranked as a conservation area of extreme importance for global biodiversity (IUCN Conservation Atlas of Tropical Forest, 1990 and Conservation International's Workshop on Conservation Priority Setting, 1997). Culturally, the area is also highly significant. It is the home of six indigenous groups who have maintained their traditional practices and ways of life; the highland Amungme (Damal), Western Dani, Gran Valley Dani, Nduga, and the lowland Asmat, Sempan and Kamoro peoples. Lorentz National Park was nominated as a World Heritage Site by the Indonesian Government in September 1998. Since 1997, WWF Indonesia has been working together with peoples organizations from the Asmat in Merauke and the Dani of the Walesi and Pelebaga valley to implement the Lorentz National Park project. WWF Indonesia's local field partners are Yayasan Bina Adat Walesi (YBAW) in Wamena, Jayawijaya and Lembaga Musyawarah Adat Asmat (LMAA) in Sawa-Erma, Merauke. These two organizations represent the indigenous peoples of Dani of the Walesi and Pelebaga valleys, as well as the Asmat in Merauke. They receive direct technical assistance from WWF Indonesia in this project. The objectives of this project and its key activities are: Facilitate the development of local communities' skills and capacities in the management of natural resources in the Lorentz ecosystems. Targets of this year are to: (a) complete training needs assessments for community organizers and YBAW and LMAA and produce training plans; (b) facilitate adat deliberations to build a consensus for organizing and implementing the plan; Facilitate YBAW and LMAA to develop community based natural resources management plans. Targets of this year are to: (a) facilitate the development of a community based information system and build consensus between WWF Lorentz, YBAW and LMAA on training activities, testing the system and implementation; (b) provide technical assistance to develop community based resources management plans in the two adat areas facilitated by YBAW and LMMA; (c) provide technical assistance to YBAW and LMAA on communications strategies so they can provide services effectively to the adat communities. Facilitate legal recognition of the rights of adat communities to manage natural resources in the two adat areas. This year's targets are to: (a) study government spatial plans that include adat communities in and around Lorentz National Park; (b) assist YBAW and LMAA to design a series of workshops to build consensus on the implementation of the natural resources management plans in adat areas; (c) develop advocacy strategy to promote and obtain legal recognition of adat communities' rights in their own lands, as laid out by the Community Based Natural Resources Management Plans; (d) to develop strategic allies and disseminate the conservation agreements and community based natural resources management plans to government agencies and neighboring tribes.
Results	WWF recently restructured its organization and work in Papua, and confirmed that strengthening the management of Lorentz National Park is a priority. WWF believes that the best way to do this is to develop strong community organizations and local NGOs that can work with local communities to take on management authority and responsibility over the long term. WWF has partnered with both LMAA and YBAW. WWF-Sahul provides assistance in project administration, and with LMAA and YBAW, they identified important issues to be addressed together. With LMAA they identified some important issues from the perspectives of local adat leaders: (1) leadership and organizational matters, (2) transparency, (3) natural resources based economics. WWF-Sahul's faciliation strategy now plans to deal with these issues through strengthening LMAA; and facilitating LMAA to have better communications with the local adat groups (known as FARs). This analysis also provides a more focused list of actions needed to refine the WWF-Sahul and LMAA partnership. Since 1998, YBAW working along with WWF-Sahul, has assisted in obtaining management agreements. WWF Indonesia has an agreement with the Directorate General of Nature Protection and Conservation (PKA) to develop participatory planning processes in several parks throughout Indonesia, including Lorentz. They are working with local NGOs, in this case YBAW to develop community involvement in park planning and ongoing management. Important issues governed by the management agreements cover confederation area boundaries, clan-based adat area ownership, local land uses, protected areas (sacred areas), limitation of land selling with outsiders, and mechanisms for involving adat groups in the planning and development of public facilities and infrastructure, such as road construction. The actors promoting the agreements are adat elders and communities, YBAW, WWF-Sahul, and head of villages within the Walesi, Heatnem, and Ibele areas. The agreements are being used by local communities to expel outside hunters and orchid gatherers from their area. Adat elders have obliged tourists to be guided by local communities. Local government has neither shown their agreement or disagreement to these processes. WWF organized training on community-based enterprises with Bina Swadaya for NGOs and community leaders in Wamena and surrounding areas. They also finished preparation of facilitation training for partner NGOs. In addition they organized two workshops with government agencies to promote community-based management systems with different stakeholders.