Village policy design on natural resources management in Mayalibit.

The Raja Ampat islands are located northwest in Papua. For centuries the people lived according to the unwritten regulations on natural resources management. Traditionally the people depend on marine resources, forest resources and coconut trees. Now they also plant cacao and other fruits such as durians, rambutans, oranges and mangoes. The Molucan and Biak people have used the islands’ potencies for trade and live improvement while the Maya people are still dependent on nature for consumption only. The project area is the Mayalibit Bay on Waigeo island, a nature reserve of 1118 km2, terrestrial and marine. The bay is an important Spawning Aggregation Site for various fish species. It is also home to white dolphins, manta ray, crocodiles and sea cucumber. South of Mayalibit Bay there is a vast lowland forest and to the west and north there are limestone mountain ranges covered with forests. The threats to the forests and waters in Waigeo are mining, logging, bird and butterfly hunting and cyanide-fishing. Being a new regency, the regent (bupati) has decided to boost local government income and infrastructure development by attracting investors. In 2006, the bupati gave out exploration concessions for nickel mining in Mayalibit. In the 1970s, Waigeo became a target of (illegal) logging operations and between 2000 and 2005 the forests were damaged on a large scale. Both the logging and mining companies mostly work closely with the government, military and police to force the local communities to accept exploitation. The local communities are promised health, education and housing provisions but because of lack of understanding of their rights and of the market they are easily deceived. Law enforcement is very weak, especially since security officers are often involved in illegal exploration. Goal: Strengthening Traditional Local Community to Preserve Natural Resources. Main activities: dialogue and discussions in villages to identify issues and traditional wisdom; 2 subdistrict workshops with community and local government representatives on natural resource management; consultations with different stakeholders. Main output: Better understanding of situation and aspiration local communities; Subdistrict agreement to preserve the natural resources; Local regulation on natural resource management signed by local government.