T

hree years have passed since the declaration of West Papua as the province of conservation. Since then, it has started campaign activities in six regencies and cities.

The conservation campaign is supported by Conservation International (CI) Indonesia through a folk party named the People’s Party for Conservation, which comprises fun activities connected by the educational theme of conservation.

According to a statement received by KompasTravel on Monday, the folk party was first held as part of the West Papua Art and Culture Festival VI, which took place at the same time as the International Conference on Biodiversity, Ecotourism and Creative Economy (ICBE).

The folk party and conservation campaign, which took place in Manokwari on Monday in front of the West Papua Governor’s Office, included two main activities: a film screening and workshop.

They were both open to visitors, provincial administration officials and public figures.

The West Papua Governor’s Office worked with CI Indonesia and the Blue Sphere Foundation to produce the film Province of Conservation. It was screened on Monday followed by a music performance from popular Papuan singers Edo Kondologit and Mitha Talahatu.

Following its declaration as a province of conservation, West Papua created a set of rules that include special bylaws (Perdasus) on sustainable development.

“This campaign aims to build a mutual understanding between stakeholders about the meaning, roots and paradigm of the province of conservation. We hope that the community can lead this green development model,” CI Indonesia vice president Ketut Sarjana Putra said in a press release.