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West Papua kicks off conservation campaign
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Ricardo Tapilatu watches a leatherback turtle return to the sea after laying her eggs on Jamursba Medi Beach in West Papua in 2010. (Courtesy of the University of Papua./-)
T
hree years have passed since the declaration of West Papua as the province of conservation. Since then, the province has started campaign activities in six regencies and cities.
The conservation campaign is supported by Conservation International (CI) Indonesia through a folk party comprising fun activities connected by the educational theme of conservation. It is therefore named the People’s Party for Conservation.
According to a statement received by KompasTravel on Monday, the folk party was the first held as part of the West Papua Art and Culture Festival VI, taking 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 evening 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 had worked with CI Indonesia and the Blue Sphere Foundation to produce the film Province of Conservation. It was screened on Monday with a music performance by popular Papuan singers Edo Kondologit and Mitha Talahatu.
Read also: Indonesian students hold Papua talk at New Zealand university
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 at building mutual understanding between stakeholder 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.
Following the performance at Manokwari, the People’s Party for Conservation will head to the Arfak Mountains on Thursday, Raja Ampat on Sunday, Sorong City on Oct. 17, Fakfak regency on Oct. 21 and Kaimana regency on Oct. 24. (mut)
