One program to another. One plan for revision and preparation has been part of eastern Indonesia’s developments a few years back. It is not a bad thing since both local and government are trying to conserve natural resources. One of the interesting plans is the Papua and West Papua Manokwari Declaration in 2018. What is it about?
About The Declaration of Manokwari
During the 2018 ICBE conference which stands for International conference on biodiversity, ecotourism, and creative economy, the meeting was agreed by the two provinces in Papua. It also said that the declaration was the follow-up of the Memorandum of understanding by the two provinces. It later discussed the bigger vision on the local growth and conservation effort.
The declaration also addresses the shared vision of the two Papua provinces (Tanah Papua) which is Papua land is Peaceful, sustainable, sustainable, and dignified. It is a big new page for the local development that relates to almost every sector. Thus, the declaration specifics 14 points to start a great work for the land of Papua.
As mentioned in its motto, the declaration will be the main direction and the basis of many sustainable development activities in Papua. It includes many sectors, governments, and efforts, which later highlight the cooperation determination. That is why West Papua governor Drs. Dominggus Mandarin mentions collaboration to materialize the plan.
The Purpose And Vision
1. Forest Cover And Marine Ecosystem Conservation
While the declaration also mentions many other sectors and development progress, the main vision is to commit to protecting natural resources. It said that the conservation effort is to allocate 705 of the land of Papua as the protected area. It means to conserve the forest cover and help reduce the greenhouse gas emissions effect.
It is not without reason. All goes to the fact that Indonesia is one of the countries with a vast forest cover, and most of them are located in Papua. The number of both provinces’ forest areas rake up about 33 million ha, which spans more than 80% of its land area. Aside from global warming, it also helps conserve the natural marine habitat.
Another part that addresses local nature conservation is to protect at least 50% of the marine ecosystem. The declaration indicates that both west Papua and Papua will join the force on conservation efforts since it also helps in fulfilling the indigenous needs and food security. But, all those ideas also demand local cooperation.
2. Establishing Museum Of Natural History And Botanical Gardens
To support the local and global acknowledgment of conservation, the project includes establishing the Museum of natural history and the botanical gardens. Dominggus point out that the establishment was an effort to support all of the conservation movement. At the same time, it also helps increase the understanding and appreciation of the local ecology.
The same as Dominggus, the conference was very positive on the idea of building a data bank and educational facility in the area. It will eventually help support research and scientific studies on behalf of the conservation effort. Another point also highlights the facility as a way to introduce the local biodiversity to the greater public’s eye.
3. Boosting Continuous Development In Papua
Another good note of the West Papua and Papua Manokwari declaration is to support and boost the development acceleration in the area. The implementation includes a team of 40 ministries and related institutions. It also has an assortment of programs that range from conservation, forestry, to natural disaster countermeasures.
The Issues that government and need To Address
Even though the declaration and conservation efforts have many supports, some issues need to be addressed. The very apparent challenge is the Fiscal situation. Aside from the local natural resources, the central government needs to pour some incentive for the locals to help improve the local wellness.
However, it is not a mere incentive or investment. it should be ecological-based fiscal, which helps in balancing the human welfare in the area. Along with the incentive, the main problem of the movement and materialization of the development is the need to improve the human recourse quality in many ways.
The Human Resource Improvement will set the point in which the huge collaboration and patronage of every party occur. As it realized, the local community in both Papua and West Papua will have support in joining the movement. Thus, all parties from the community, local, to central government will go in the same mindset for a better land of Papua.
Considering how important it is to contribute to greenhouse effect prevention, the declaration was one of the open ideas for the public. It highlights the purpose of conserving and restoring 70% of the forest land area in Papua. It is not a bad idea, but Indonesia and the locals will need proper involvement in every sector and group at different levels.
