People priorities and perceptions. Towards conservation partnership in Mamberamo

Conservation International Indonesia has launched several initiatives in the Mamberamo area since early 2000, targeting biodiversity conservation and sustainable environmental management, as well as facilitating the development of the "Mamberamo Biodiversity Corridor". The Mamberamo watershed is noted as Papua¿s most important area of undisturbed terrestrial ecosystems, which contain high levels of biodiversity. Since 2004 CI and CIFOR have collaborated to adapt and apply an interdisciplinary approach to the study of local perceptions of natural resources, forest landscapes and biodiversity, including local priorities for their management. The 2004 survey revealed a strong sense of ownership of this vast territory, a strong commitment to guard specific areas in the landscape and to maintain key resources, but also species with less tangible values. This report refers to the follow-up activities in Mamberamo developed by CIFOR and CI in 2006. The new activities included additional socio-economic surveys in three villages. The accuracy of the participatory maps of the natural resources and important landscape features were improved using GPS ground checks. Participatory maps of territorial land claims and land use by clans were also drafted. Additional information was then collected on local biodiversity monitoring and control of the land and resources. The results show that local communities with village territories of between 1000 and 1700 km2 per village which they regularly patrol, have a strong awareness of the threats to their wild resources, and equally the need to maintain the watershed¿s services. Based on these results, we recommend that the land-use maps should be used to negotiate with local people the zoning of future conservation areas. Conservation management should also be designed to support existing systems in order to maintain balance in the face of outside intrusions and to survey strategic villages the length of the Mamberamo Biodiversity Corridor. Rather than introducing new rules, which pay no heed to local cultures and traditions, the search should be for traditional rules and regulations that have managed to conserve this vast area, of near pristine forests, for generations. (Résumé d'auteur