Policy on locals' rights urgent for conservation<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Environmentalists urged the government on Monday
\nto formulate policies on the rights and responsibilities of
\npeople who live near protected areas.<\/p>\n
Speakers at a workshop on conservation agreed yesterday that
\npolicies are needed to ensure the local population's support for
\nconservation efforts, and to protect their rights when they are
\ncaught in the middle of a conflict of interests between the
\ngovernment and the private sector.<\/p>\n
\"We need a policy which determines the rights and conservation
\nrole of communities whose livelihood depend on forest resources,\"
\nsaid I Ketut Djati of the Jakarta office of the United States
\nAgency for International Development.<\/p>\n
Unless such policies are established, \"there are concerns that
\ncommunity awareness to maintain and use natural resources will
\ndecrease or even disappear,\" he said. The workshop was held by
\nthe Indonesia office of the World Wide Fund for Nature.<\/p>\n
Effendy Sumardja, the assistant to the Minister of Environment
\nfor program planning, said the International Convention on
\nBiodiversity, which Indonesia ratified last year, mandates
\ncommunity participation in conservation efforts.<\/p>\n
Djati said a number of government rules already touch on the
\nrecognition of the rights of inhabitants. However, the rules
\ndisappear as soon as private concessionaires enter an area
\nbecause the locals lack bargaining power, he said.<\/p>\n
Godwin Limberg, a WWF official in charge of a conservation
\nproject in Kayan Mentarang, East Kalimantan, said people living
\nnear private forest concessions are often unsure whether they can
\nharvest and enjoy their own crops.<\/p>\n
Competition from outside interests in extracting resources has
\noften forced people to exploit the environment in a destructive
\nway. This is despite the fact that local people \"often have
\ncustoms to never destroy the environment they live in,\" Limberg
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The problem also emerged from a lack of clear policies, he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Djati later told reporters that local people are often treated
\nas mere objects in conservation projects.<\/p>\n
\"They are often included in conservation projects...but we
\noften don't think about their interests from their perspective,\"
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
The expert named several conditions that should be met, the
\nfirst of which is the willingness of locals to be involved in the
\nprograms. The government has launched the \"primary environmental
\ncare projects\" to raise local peoples' awareness and involvement
\nin conservation.<\/p>\n
Another condition is the support of the local administration,
\nDjati said.<\/p>\n
\"Non-governmental organizations often forget the importance of
\nthe government's role in conservation efforts. Neglecting this
\nfactor can boomerang,\" said Gillian Dias, the WWF coordinator of
\nprimary environmental care projects.<\/p>\n
The workshop explored how well the WWF projects met the
\nconditions.<\/p>\n
Nurchalis Fadhli, who works on a WWF project in the Kerinci
\nSeblat National Park in Sumatra, described through slides how
\nlocals removed boundary markers between the park and the cinnamon
\nplantation where they work.<\/p>\n
One sign post was made into a bridge, Nurchalish said.<\/p>\n
Wawan Ridwan, the head of the park, questioned how far
\ncommunity demands should be tolerated in negotiations when
\nsetting up boundaries between protected areas and the locals'
\nresources.<\/p>\n
\"If we tolerate them too much the protected areas could be
\ndestroyed,\" Wawan said.<\/p>\n
Other speakers gave examples of community roles in conserving
\nthe protected areas of Arfak mountain in Manokwari and Wasur
\nNational Park, both in Irian Jaya, and in Tangkoko-Duasudara in
\nBitung, North Sulawesi.<\/p>\n
The government has secured 19 million hectares of protected
\nland, 30 million hectares of permanent forests and 2.8 million
\nhectares of marine protected areas. The areas include 31 national
\nparks. (anr)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/policy-on-locals-rights-urgent-for-conservation-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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