"Mbak, please tell DKP, don't bother about my official travel expenses. Guarding this document until the end is an obligation for us, the Provincial Government", said Sjahrir, one of the staff of the Public Works and Spatial Planning Office (PUPR) of West Papua Province to Deti Triani of WWF-Indonesia, over the phone when the Pokja (Working Group) was preparing the process of evaluating the Draft Regional Regulation (Ranperda).

Sjahrir is a Pokja member representing the PUPR Office who has faithfully attended dozens of meetings throughout the preparation of the Coastal Zone and Small Islands Zoning Plan (RZWP-3-K) since 2017. He was not the only one who realized the importance of RZWP-3-K. Since the Governor's Decree number 050/107/6/2017 on the West Papua Province RZWP-3-K Compilation Working Group was issued, as many as 16 Local Government Organizations (OPD) within the province including 3 structural institutions under the Ministry, one University and four Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) are members of the RZWP-3-K Working Group with command in the Maritime and Fisheries Service (DKP).

In the Governor's decree, WWF-Indonesia through support from the USAID Sustainable Ecosystems Advanced (USAID SEA) Project became one of the NGOs appointed as the technical team of the West Papua RZWP-3-K Working Group to provide assistance in every preparation process, both technically and financial support for the West Papua Province RZWP-3-K Working Group. One of the missions held by WWF-Indonesia in the RZWP-3-K is to support the certainty of space allocation for marine protected areas in West Papua Province, by encouraging the collaboration of various parties in the West Papua Provincial Government so that the certainty of this space allocation can be integrated with various planning documents within the Province.

The technical assistance held in August 2017, inviting KKP and the North Sulawesi RZWP-3-K Working Group has been an excellent start in encouraging the collaboration process, as it has provided an overview of how the preparation of the RZWP-3-K will be carried out by the Working Group. As the command holder, DKP West Papua then carried out its task of preparing a budget to facilitate the entire technical to administrative preparation process. Since then, DKP decided to lead the Pokja in a self-managed manner. From this process, the OPDs/agencies that are members of the Pokja sent their representatives who proved to be dedicated enough to attend various meetings to agree on various matters, including the Pokja's agreement to choose the Sorong PSPL Workshop, WWF-Indonesia and the Cenderawasih Bay National Park Center as a special team to manage spatial data.

All data processed by the spatial team comes from data officially submitted by each Pokja member. For example, the Head of BMKG Manokwari, Denny Putiray, voluntarily submitted wind and tidal data in the West Papua region for verification of thematic map sets related to oceanography such as currents and waves. The RZWP-3-K space allocation arrangement itself cannot be separated from the RTRW, the integration process between the RZWP-3-K and RTRW is led directly by BAPPEDA. Integration with the RTRW is also supported by data from the Minister of Forestry Decree No. 783 of 2014 provided by the West Papua BKSDA. Furthermore, it was also BAPPEDA that included the RZWP-3-K in the priority considerations in the Review of the West Papua RTRW Revision. Overall, representatives from various conservation NGOs, the Maritime Partners Coalition, and BPBD actively attended the discussion meeting.

At each public consultation, Pokja members collected all inputs by serving as facilitators at each table attended by policy holders at the district/city level, customary law communities and corporate representatives. Every detail of the input was put into writing by all Pokja members to become the basis for writing academic papers and Ranperda. The process of preparing narrative documents and the direction of various analyses was overseen by academics from UNIPA, namely FPIK professor Prof. Roni Bawole and FPIK Dean Mrs. Mudjirahayu.

When entering the Ranperda writing stage, the Head of the West Papua Regional Secretariat Legal Bureau, Robert KR Hammar, was very dedicated in leading his team from the writing process to the discussion process with the West Papua DPR, he was always present in the assistance process with the CTF and together with the Chairperson of the Working Group held hearings with the Regional Secretary to the Governor to report on the progress of the RZWP-3-K. Likewise, in the preparation of the Strategic Environmental Assessment, the Environment and Land Office is fully responsible.

Evaluation of Ranperda RZWP-3-K by Ministry of Home Affairs

After 28 months of drafting process, on November 4, 2019, Pokja's hard work entered the final stage of Ranperda RZWP-3-K Evaluation at The Acacia Hotel Jakarta. A total of 30 Pokja members attended, led by the Deputy Governor of West Papua, Muhammad Lakotani SH, MSi and Regional Secretary Drs. Nataniel D Mandacan, M.Si. The evaluation was led by the Secretary of the Directorate General of Regional Development of the Ministry of Home Affairs (Kemendagri), Ir. Zanariah.

In the evaluation process, KKP, represented by Dr. Krishna Samudera, Head of Sub-Directorate of Regional Zoning who has been assisting every process by providing technical assistance and facilitating technical consultations, recounted the performance of the RZWP-3-K Working Group in front of all invitees. "West Papua is one of the best of the 34 provinces. Why? Because it involves all institutions, one of which we saw directly how West Papua can involve its committed Regional Government, led by the Regional Secretary and Deputy Governor. Then assisted by parties that in the meantime we hope to be directly involved, first are NGOs that are very focused on the environment, apparently knowing that the RZWP-3-K is important for environmental preservation, so they are directly involved, including WWF-Indonesia, USAID SEA Project, universities from UNIPA, and other conservation NGOs."

All appreciation is certainly inseparable from the role of each OPD/agency that sent representatives, where almost all representatives have integrity and enthusiasm like Sjahrir who faithfully contributed to the preparation of the West Papua Province RZWP-3-K. Responding to the praise, the Head of the Marine and Fisheries Service, Jacobis Ayomi also expressed his relief to WWF-Indonesia after the evaluation. "Initially this became one of the big burdens, but after we did the evaluation the results were well received so we as the West Papua RZWP-3-K Working Group team felt as if the burden was released, which was our responsibility so far which was done with hard work. We DKP do not work alone but are supported by some of our partners who have contributed to the waters of West Papua, especially WWF-Indonesia. It is hoped that WWF after this will continue to work with us to carry out various activities related to marine management in West Papua Province."

Before the evaluation process was carried out, West Papua was declared to have passed the entire process in Permen KP Number 23 of 2016 based on the Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Letter Number B-364/MEN-KP/VI/2019 on June 17, 2019 concerning Follow-up of West Papua RZWP-3-K as well as the stages of discussion until approval in the West Papua Parliament. After the evaluation, West Papua is now waiting for the release of the register number which is being processed by the Ministry of Home Affairs for 14 working days. Currently, out of 34 provinces in Indonesia, there are 22 provinces that have passed the RZWP-3-K regional regulation.