By Priska Raharjo

Jakarta (17/03)- February 17, 2012 was a historic day for WWF-Indonesia, because on that date, a cooperation agreement between Teluk Cendrawasih National Park, Teluk Wondama Regency Government and WWF-Indonesia was signed. One of the agreements raised in this agreement is environmental education and health counseling activities. Included in this, the role of a motorboat named Gurano Bintang was announced.

Gurano Bintang is a 34-ton phinisi boat owned by WWF-Indnesia that previously operated in the Alor area under the name KM Koteklema. The name Gurano Bintang was adopted from the local name for the whale shark species (Rhincodon typhus), a giant fish that is a tourist attraction in the area. Just like before, this vessel serves as a bridge for the community to gain access to education and health counseling. KM Gurano also acts as a mobile library that provides a variety of environmental education books. Covering an area around Cenderawasih Bay, the education program targets elementary school-age children, junior high school students selected under the scholarship program and kindergarten students through trained local cadres.

The program took 7 pilot villages namely Isenebuay, Yomber, Yende, Syabes, Yomakan, Kwatisore and Goni. Given the distance and access between these seven villages is difficult to reach by road, the existence of KM Gurano Bintang is a bright spot to embrace the seven villages.

In addition to educational books, KM Gurano Bintang is also equipped with audio devices, TVs and video players that can be used to deliver environmental education materials through short films and other creative communication products. Various equipment for learning and playing are also provided, so that children can do various activities on board.

In addition to education, this wooden boat will also be utilized for family health services for communities scattered across a number of islands in the Cenderawasih Bay region. .

"The gurano bintang ship is equipped with environmental education modules, so far we already have modules for mangrove, seagrass, coral reef and forest habitats. In the future, we will add other modules needed by the community, for example on sustainable fisheries and ecotourism. WWF is grateful to the Teluk Wondama Regency Government that will equip this ship with health facilities as well as medical personnel, because health services are very important and still difficult to access by people in remote areas of Teluk Cenderawasih National Park," said WWF-Indonesia Sahul-Papua Region Director Benja V. Mambai.

When not conducting education and health outreach, KM Gurano Bintang is utilized by WWF-Indonesia's monitoring team to track the movements of whale sharks, evaluate potential threats and develop ecotourism.

In this first development program, Gurano Bintang is planned to sail in the Cendrawasih Bay area until 2014. WWF-Indonesia hopes that this initiative can inspire many parties and be adopted by other agencies to develop environmental education and health counseling in various regions in Indonesia. In this first development program, Gurano Bintang is planned to sail in the Cendrawasih Bay area until 2014.