ARJUN WAMA THE GUARDIAN OF THE SEA
Arjun Wama or more familiarly known as Juna is a fisherman from Sawai Village, Central Maluku Regency who is also a member of the Toha Putih Community Supervisory Group (Pokmaswas). Juna's enthusiasm in voicing conservation was heightened after participating in the Local Champion Training held in Ambon on January 27-30, 2020.
The Sea Warrior Training was initiated by the USAID SEA Project to provide additional understanding and capacity to community representatives living in conservation areas. As an Ocean Warrior, Juna's mission is to be a messenger and community mobilizer, especially in activities related to marine conservation.
Together with other members of Pokmaswas Toha Putih, Juna is determined to encourage the people of Sawai Village to protect the area where they live from destructive fishing activities that still occur today, such as fishing using bombs and potassium (cyanide).
"Beta sekarang mangarti kanapa dong mau jaga katong pung lautan, beta jua skarang mau jaga akang lay, ayo katong sering-sering bikin patroli, ayo katong tempel poster dan spanduk yang WWF su kasi supaya masyarakat yang lain juga sadar tentang pentingnya menjaga katong pung laut. Karena ini bukan cuman par satu orang sa tapi ini katong jaga akang par samua, jadi paleng bagus kalau katong jua ajak semua masyarakat par katong sama-sama jaga akang (I now understand why they (the government) want to protect our sea, I also now want to participate in protecting the sea, let's do frequent patrols, let's participate in spreading the posters that WWF has given so that the people in Sawai and other communities are also aware of the importance of protecting our sea. Because this good thing is not only for one person but for the sustainability of all of us, so it would be better if we also invite all people to jointly protect the sea)," said the father of 7 children to the participants of the Sea Warrior Training who were also present from various regions of Maluku, North Maluku and West Papua.
What Juna learned from the training was then passed on to his fellow Pokmaswas Toha Putih members. Mutiin Gay as the Pokmaswas chairman appreciated what Juna had shared and invited other Pokmaswas members to emulate the spirit of Juna and implement what was obtained in the future programs of Pokmaswas Toha Putih.
In an effort to increase awareness to the community, Pokmaswas Toha has installed banners and posters in strategic locations in Sawai Village. The banners and posters contain information on the types of protected marine animals and mammals. Pokmaswas Toha Putih also has several programs that will be implemented in the future such as; inviting various elements of society in Sawai Village to clean the beach to give a good impression and attract tourists. Juna along with Pokmaswas Toha Putih will continue to work together with local village authorities, the Maluku Provincial Maritime and Fisheries Service and PSDKP Ambon to routinely conduct patrol activities and submit their findings by attaching a logbook (record of findings in the field).