By: Nancy Ariaini

One of Indonesia important national parks in the area of Heart of Borneo is Bukit Baka Bukit Raya National Park, located in West Kalimantan and Central Kalimantan, has almost finalized its long-term management plan.
One priority task to handle by the park management is the boundary of the area. Currently the park boundaries is not yet finalized, a few points on maps and on the ground are not synchronized, especially with production forests and community lands, both in the West Kalimantan and Central Kalimantan.

Bukit Baka Bukit Raya National Park region are still largely intact wilderness along Scwhanner mountain range, steep topography in parts of West Kalimantan and generally begin to ramp in the Central Kalimantan side.
This national park area is situated adjacent to timber concession areas and some villages whose community are still doing swidden farming activity, forest product gathering and hunting. The hills are headwaters of some tributaries and waterfalls. The diversity of these locations requires proper zonation.
Since Bukit Baka Bukit Raya National Park is within the region of Heart of Borneo, and that Heart of Borneo Program has established its Strategic Plan of Action both three countries and national (Indonesia), it is now more than important to ensure that both plans are synergized each other.
The synergy needed between Bukit Baka Bukit Raya National Park and Heart of Borneo Program may cover:

1. Advocacy on management policy: such as effectiveness of park management, improving the status of the region, as well as cross-border management.
2. Strengthening information system, park management and joint tourism development with neighboring protected area managements in the region Heart of Borneo.
3. Strengthening role and benefits for local community, particularly on policy and implementation of cooperation (including community-based tourism development).
4. Involving private sector in the management area, such as investment in tourism sector, research, and development of other livelihood alternatives.

To ensure the needs above are properly addressed, it is substantial that the park management is involved in Heart of Borneo National Working Group and also in related provincial and district Working Groups.
Considering the complexity of the park, financing the park and its conservation programs by central government fund only may not be adequate. Park management must put into consideration a more sustainable funding strategy.
Some of the identified funding possibilities are:

1. Funding from the provincial government, through the mechanism of collecting and sharing tax and non-tax revenue and other funding mechanisms developed by the region.
2. Funding assistance from conservation partners such as environmental NGOs work in Bukit Baka Bukit Raya National Park.
3. Payment for Environmental Service (PES) based on natural potentials such as carbon, nature and landscape, watershed protection and water system, and biodiversity. Carbon potential may take into form of payment mechanisms for the rehabilitation and restoration of ecosystems in the areas that needs to be rehabilitated as former concession area, burnt areas, etc. Carbon trading scheme could also be an optional through development of community-based forest management.
4. Domestic products by local community near the park to find marketing opportunity in green market.

From the above possibilities, park management will need to build joint programs with external parties related with Bukit Baka Bukit Raya National Park, such as local government through Development Planning Forum or Musyarawah Perencanaan Pembangunan – Musrenbang, as this forum gathers aspiration from village level, district level and up to provincial level. Cooperation on planning development with NGO or private sector for particular object or issues may include the mechanism of funding or sharing of resources of each party.