A parcel of forest in the Indonesian part of Papua has today been handed
over to local indigenous people, the first such 'Forest Village' in Papua. It
represents a whole new and inclusive way for managing forests and halt the
threat of deforestation in their homeland.
The press release and images are below.
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Papua’s first 'Village Forest' handed over, after decade
fighting deforestation
Teminabuan, West Papua, 9 March 2017 - A 3,545
hectare slice of Papua’s rainforest was today officially placed in community
hands, to be protected and managed by the indigenous people of the Knasaimos
landscape in West Papua’s Bird’s Head Peninsula. This is the first Village
Forest to be established in Papua and it allows the communities of Manggroholo
and Sira villages, situated in South Sorong district, to put a stop to the
threat of deforestation from illegal logging, palm oil and pulpwood
plantations.
Representatives of the Province of West Papua officially
handed over the Village Forest management rights, initially valid for 35 years,
to representatives of the two villages at an event in Teminabuan, the district
capital. Traditional Tihor, Sayo, and Salawa dances were performed to greet
participants in the ceremony, which was attended by around sixty members of the
roughly 400-strong forest community.
“This is a victory not just for we
residents of Sira and Manggroholo villages, but for everyone, especially here in
Papua where much forest remains. Forest protection is vital to secure the future
of our communities,” said Fredrick Sagisolo, head of the Knasaimos Tribal
Council (Dewan Persekutuan Masyarakat Adat Knasaimos). “Our target is to extend
the right to Village Forest to every village in the Knasaimos traditional
domain.”
The new Village Forest sits within the 81,646-hectare Knasaimos
indigenous territory, and comprises an area of 1,695 hectares to be managed by
Manggroholo village, and 1,850 hectares for Sira village. During the 2000s,
illegal loggers targeted merbau timber species in the Knasaimos area, and
elsewhere in coastal Papua. Exported at a rate of 300 thousand cubic meters per
month from Papua to factories making luxury flooring in China, the trade earned
Papuans who collaborated with the industry less than half a cent per dollar’s
worth of flooring sold in the west. [1]
More recently, plantation
companies have eyed the area, and some have secured concession rights from
government, within the Knasaimos forest landscape. Sira and Manggroholo village
leaders however say they have rejected advances from palm oil companies, instead
asking for help from local NGO Bentara Papua, which along with Greenpeace
Indonesia, has assisted the community to establish its own indigenous
association. Together the NGOs and community have undertaken a process of
participative mapping, forest surveys and non-destructive forestry training. The
Village Forest plan now includes collection of non-timber forest products such
as damar resin, gaharu, and rotan.
“Greenpeace supports community-based
forest management which recognises sovereignty is in the hands of the local
people. Papuan forests, increasingly succumbing to the expansion of oil palm,
must be protected. The commitment of the Manggroholo-Sira community is an
inspiration to others resisting deforestation in Papua,” said Kiki Taufik, Head
of Greenpeace’s Indonesia Forests Campaign.
Indonesian President
Joko Widodo promised in 2014 to give forest-dwelling communities control over
12.7 million hectares of forest estate through community forestry schemes
including Village Forest areas. The Sira-Manggroholo Village Forest is the first
such area to be allocated in either of Indonesia’s two provinces which comprise
Papua.
Representing the Governor of West Papua, provincial development
and economy expert Niko Tike said: “The forest is like our mother, providing for
our needs. It’s a must that we protect it and use it wisely, so that our
requirements are always secured, now and in the future. If the forest is
destroyed, it will mean disaster for us. I hope these two villages can become a
model for others in driving community forestry in West Papua.”
Notes
to editor: