Bunaken Park, a model of dialog<\/p>\n
MANADO, North Sulawesi (JP): Fifteen miles from Manado, off
\nSulawesi's northern coast, lies the Bunaken National Park -- an
\n80,000-hectare expanse of ocean, islands, mangroves, and some of
\nIndonesia's most dramatic coral reefs. What makes Bunaken unique,
\nthough, is not so much its striking physical features, but its
\ninnovative approach to park management. An approach that bids
\nfair to become a model for all of Indonesia as well as other
\nAsian countries.<\/p>\n
Developing a national park is an intricate balancing act.
\nInevitably, several groups hold an interest in the proposed park
\narea, each with a different idea of how the park should be
\ndeveloped.<\/p>\n
In Indonesia, the interested groups typically include the
\nMinistry of Forestry, the local government and the people living
\nin the area designated to become park land. The Ministry of
\nForestry generally sees conservation as the primary role of a
\npark, while local government tends to emphasize tourism and
\nnatural resources use.<\/p>\n
Local residents think the park should protect their right to
\ntraditional extraction practices (hunting, fishing, farming).
\nTrouble arises when, as is usually the case, the goals are seen
\nas mutually exclusive.<\/p>\n
This perceived incompatibility makes cooperation between the
\nvarious parties difficult, and the Ministry of Forestry must
\noften shoulder the full burden of the park's development, with
\nminimal input from the local government and residents.<\/p>\n
This approach can entail a host of problems, as it imposes an
\nundue financial strain on the Ministry, while depriving it of
\nvaluable local partners.<\/p>\n
Park management plans developed unilaterally by the Ministry
\nof Forestry tend to promote conservation, primarily by
\ndesignating large areas of the park off limits to tourism and
\nextraction by local residents.<\/p>\n
The Ministry must then employ a sizable security force to
\nenforce these restrictions in the designated areas, resulting in
\nstill greater financial and institutional burdens.<\/p>\n
In Bunaken, the stage was set for the same complications. Over
\n10,000 people reside on Bunaken's five islands and another 10,000
\non the mainland coastline, drawing their livelihood largely from
\nfarming and from the sea, while the area's rich coral reefs
\nsupport a growing diving and tourism industry based in nearby
\nManado.<\/p>\n
When the area was declared a marine nature reserve in 1986,
\nanxiety soared over how this would affect the local parties.
\nLocal communities and tourism operations alike feared they would
\nlose their access to the park's waters, as had happened with
\nother national parks in the region.<\/p>\n
Different<\/p>\n
Bunaken, though, was different. Park planners quickly realized
\nthat Bunaken's large indigenous population, coupled with its
\nproximity to Manado, made management by exclusion virtually
\nimpossible.<\/p>\n
The planners set to work on an innovative strategy, that would
\ntake into account all parties affected by the park's development.<\/p>\n
The first step in this ambitious undertaking was to determine
\nthe role each group played in the Bunaken area. Use patterns of
\nthe park area were studied. Dialog was facilitated between local
\ncommunities, dive operators, and government officials to
\ndetermine the needs, hopes, and concerns of each group.<\/p>\n
This discourse provided crucial information, and perhaps more
\nimportantly, dispelled a number of misconceptions. For example,
\ngovernment officials learned that less than half of the local
\nresidents relied on fishing as their primary source of
\nlivelihood.<\/p>\n
With this revelation, conservation and extraction suddenly
\nseemed less in conflict.<\/p>\n
This knowledge, garnered from dialog, was augmented by a
\nseries of aerial photographs taken of the park area depicting the
\nlocation of different habitats, villages, dive spots, fishing
\ngrounds, etc. These photos were fed into a computer and combined
\nthrough a process called Geographic Information Systeming, to
\nprovide a complete picture of the various activities and
\ninteractions occurring within the park, as well as a very
\naccurate map of the park area.<\/p>\n
Though time consuming and labor-intensive, these efforts
\nprovided an essential understanding of the groups using the park
\nand how they interact. The park planners were now in a position
\nto develop a management that would address the needs of all
\ngroups. They realized, though, that the plan would ultimately
\nfail if it lacked the input and support of all players.<\/p>\n
Planners, therefore, continued the dialog process in
\ndeveloping the management plan.<\/p>\n
The planners identified key figures among each of the groups
\nhaving an interest in the park. These people, which included
\nvillage heads, dive shop owners, and government officials,
\nprovided the planners with crucial information on each group's
\nneeds, concerns, and desires regarding park management.<\/p>\n
This flow of information went both ways; successive drafts of
\nthe management plan were passed on to the interested groups for
\ntheir comments, criticism and recommendations.<\/p>\n
Meetings were held so that the various groups could meet face-
\nto-face and discuss the best arrangements for the park. Most
\nimportantly, the management plan was not considered complete
\nuntil it had achieved the approval of every group that would be
\naffected by the park's development.<\/p>\n
The result of this arduous process was a management plan
\naccepted by all groups in the Bunaken area. Naturally, each group
\nhad to give up some rights and privileges in exchange for others.
\nBut the current plan is a model of cooperation, in which each
\nsacrifices somewhat, so that all may profit.<\/p>\n
Under the plan, for example, local communities receive
\nexclusive extraction rights in certain areas in exchange for
\naccepting limited access to zones designated for dive tourism.
\nDive operators, in turn, restrict their operations to certain
\nareas and have installed mooring stations in order to prevent the
\ndamage that boat anchors had previously done to the reefs.<\/p>\n
Villagers and divers both agree to recognize certain \"saving
\nzones\", which are protected areas designed to help maintain fish
\nstocks. Such cooperative husbandry of marine resources serves the
\nMinistry of Forestry's goal of conservation, while at the same
\ntime benefiting local fishers and divers.<\/p>\n
Profit<\/p>\n
There is room for synergy here as well. It is hoped that in
\ntime the local communities will be able to profit from tourism by
\nproviding home stays and selling handicrafts. Similarly, the
\ncontinuation of traditional activities in the area increases its
\nvalue as a tourist destination.<\/p>\n
A final virtue of the Bunaken strategy is that it actively
\nengages all groups in the park's management. Local communities,
\nfor example, have responsibility for policing their extraction
\nzones. Dive operations monitor each other and report infractions
\nto the local government.<\/p>\n
By imbuing all groups with a sense of ownership and commitment
\nto the park, this participatory approach motivates all groups to
\npreserve and protect the park's resources. It also lightens the
\nfinancial and institutional burdens born by the Ministry of
\nForestry for the park's management.<\/p>\n
The Bunaken National Park is an example of how communication
\nand participatory planning can overcome seemingly irreconcilable
\ninterests. The park's 25-year management plan has achieved the
\nsupport of all local groups in the Bunaken area and is now
\npending approval from the Ministry of Forestry while some
\nproblems remain to be worked out.<\/p>\n
Passage of this historic plan will allow the Bunaken area to
\nbe used and enjoyed by tourists and local communities for
\ngenerations to come. It is further hoped that it will become a
\nmodel for other national parks in Indonesia and throughout the
\nworld.<\/p>\n
-- Dean Carignan<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/bunaken-park-a-model-of-dialog-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }