The high rate of land conversion in Papua was one of the indicators of how fast the development in the area was. Indonesia and the local government want to increase the local well-being and economy. Unfortunately, it put an imbalance toward the Papua and West Papua natural resources stability. So, what is the resolution for the problem?
Local Wisdom And Conservation
Local wisdom or the traditional method by community and tribe can help implement better marine or forest conservation practices. That is also proven by the known Sasi Laut Marine conservation in easter Indonesia that successfully brings stable fisheries stocks. Local wisdom itself is not limited to sea or marine life.
Some other tribes and locals also have prominent traditions to help conserve forests and natural resources. Most of them highlight the sense of prohibition, which limits harvest and of certain areas or natural products. Sasi focuses on marine life, but there is also forest conservation such as Sinara and forest Egek.
The Local Method In Taking Care Their Nature
Among many restrictions, traditional rites, and rituals, the local community put down some local wisdom to help preserve their natural resources. At some point, the locals are pretty oblivious to the idea but it comes with better results in the harvest and natural resource preservation. Many West Papua local wisdom might be hardly unknown, but here are some of them.
1. Sasi Laut
Marine conservation practices that are part of the community’s daily life are Sasi Laut. Sasi Laut’s practice might not directly indicate a conservation method, however, the local law on marine harvest makes it work as a preservation practice. Another good point to highlight is that Sasi is also found in many locations across the easternmost region of Indonesia.
In Papua, one of the regions that constantly apply the law is the Kaimana region. The region is known as one of the fishery commodities, which is why the closed practice of the fishing system takes place. The law highlights restrictions and limitations of the harvest, in which preserving the natural marine ecosystem without deducting the food stock for the region.
As a conservation practice, the local community and the government will entail social-ecological complexity in its implementation. It also interlinks with the cultural systems, thus approaching the interconnection of local cultural systems and government goals for conservation. How does the local community do Sasi in the West Papua sea ecosystem?
Sasi uses a mental model of three terms, Corpus, Praxis, and Kosmos. Each term represents indigenous community knowledge in managing and protecting the marine ecosystem. Corpus refers to the local classification system, Praxis means the management system, and Kosmos are the belief, rituals, and symbols.
Sasi rituals can take over two months when the law restricts locals to fish in certain areas of the sea. It also includes limiting the harvest. Sasi Law pinpoints the Petuanan System to regulate marine biota for rituals or protection. Meanwhile, Corpus is to protect certain biota. In Kaimana itself, the fishery commodity mostly focuses on sea cucumbers, Siput Batulaga, and Lola.
2. Sinara Traditional Ceremony
Along with marine conservation, the local community also has a practice called Sinara Ceremony. The local wisdom is part of the Kaimana region, where the locals try to protect the forest by indicating forbidden areas. The endemic population of Tanah Papua is pretty familiar with the idea of forbidding areas to protect natural resources.
In this case, the origin of Sinara came as a practice to protect the Cendrawasih bird, the endemic west Papua bird. Sinara Law in Kaimana located in Bicari Bay. The location is deemed as the forbidden spot since it is one of the Cenderawasih habitats. That turn Bicari Bay left untouched to maintain its sustainability.
Indigenous communities also have a strong mindset that the forest is the center of spirituality, which explains how locals only get benefits to suffice their needs. Tribes and local communities do not want to exploit the resources. At some locations, the idea of forest restriction also relates to traditional belief, respect spirit, and rites.
3. Forest Egek
Sasi law limits the marine harvest, Sinara forbids some forest areas, and forest Egek is another local wisdom to preserve forest’s ecology. Local communities in Sorong under the name of the Moi tribe are the ones that practice the forest Egek. The law pinpoints hunting weapon ban regulation and deciding the no hunting animals list.
Forest Egek in Sorong, West Papua, also protects some types of orchids. Some no-hunting animals, include Brid, snake, lau-lau, and tree kangaroo. People can only hunt boar and deer for public consumption. Forest Egek law has been enacted in some areas in Papua, such as Kalami Malagufuk, Malaumkarta Raya, and many more. More tribes are also willing to join the custom.
Adding local wisdom to take care of nature is probably one of the ways to reach positive collaboration from the community and government. Businesses, investors, and government can work with the endemic community to hold the local wisdom for better nature conservation. That might work the best since locals still depend on natural resources.
