The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Archipelago | Mon, April 06 2015, 2:16 PM
The West Papuan provincial administration is preparing a regional bylaw to designate West Papua a conservation province, an official said Monday.
“The bylaw is being worked out before being submitted to the West Papua Legislative Council for deliberation,” West Papua administration secretary Nataniel Mandacan said as quoted by Antara news agency.
Nathanie said the preparation for the bylaw was made in response to the declaration of West Papua Governor Abraham Atururi to designate West Papua a conservation province to protect forests and other natural resources in the province.
With the planned enactment of the bylaw, there will be legal protection for the province to carry out conservation efforts.
He said there were three international NGOs, namely Conservation International, The Nature Conservancy and World Wildlife Fund, which have been actively assisting the West Papuan province carry out conservation activities in the region.
The conservation efforts, especially in the regencies of Raja Ampat, Kaimana and Tambraw, have been financed by the three international NGOs through 2017, he said.
“We have to say thank you to the international NGOs, which have sponsored the conservation of existing natural resources in the province,” he added.