Jayapura - 19,000 Hectares of Isyo Rhepang Muaif forest area, in Jayapura Regency, has officially been designated as a customary forest of the Yawadatum customary law community in the Grime area of Nimbokrang District, Jayapura Regency, through the Decree of the Jayapura Regent Number 188.4/150 TAHUN 2018 dated March 12, 2018. The decree stipulates that the forest function remains a customary forest whose management is carried out by customary law communities based on customary law.

This means that the Isyo Rhepang Muaif Customary Forest is the first customary forest in Papua province. The initial initiation of this determination was from the agreement of the indigenous people of several tribes regarding the conversion of forest areas as a cenderawasih habitat protection area since August 2016. This was done as an effort by indigenous peoples to protect their customary forests. Moreover, the indigenous people are also developing one of the areas in the village of Rhepang Muaif as an ecotourism area "Bird Watching Isyo Hill's" or bird monitoring, which is a form of ecotourism management carried out by indigenous peoples in a sustainable manner.

Through the results of the Rhepang Muaif Area Bird Species Diversity Database Development survey, conducted by WWF-Indonesia in 2016, as a Birdwatching or bird monitoring location, this area meets two important criteria as a requirement for Important Bird Areas (DPB). These criteria are the presence of threatened bird species such as Casuarius unappendiculatus (Single-billed Cassowary), Harpyopsis novaeguineae (Papuan Rajawali), Goura victoria (Victorian Mambruk), and the near threatened Epimachus bruijnii (White-billed Cenderawasih). There are also limited distribution bird species that are characteristic of a particular biome / Regional Endemic Bird Area (DBE), such as the Psittaculirostris salvadorii (Yellow-cheeked Nuriara) bird species with a limited distribution in the northern lowland forest area of Papua so that this species is included as an endemic species.

Alex Waisimon, one of the indigenous community members who is also the initiator of ecotourism development in Rhepang Muaif village said "With this determination, hopefully the Rhepang Muaif village forest can become a pilot project for indigenous peoples to learn from nature, how to maintain and protect it, because if we lose the forest then we have lost everything". Furthermore, Alex Waisiomon said "I am very happy with this designation and I hope what the indigenous people here are doing can inspire other indigenous people in Tanah Tabi (Jayapura-Red), because this is our basis as indigenous people."

Meanwhile, according to Benja Mambai, Director of WWF-Indonesia Papua Program, the establishment of customary forests is expected to provide protection of biodiversity, and forests as a support for science in flora and fauna research activities, as well as the development of ecotourism that provides direct economic benefits for indigenous peoples.