By: Siti Yasmina Enita 

West Papua is famous for its natural wealth, both on land and at sea. Marine biodiversity in West Papua Province is the highest in the world and is included in the center of the coral triangle in the world. In an effort to preserve marine biodiversity and to accommodate all Marine Protected Areas and National Parks within the territory of West Papua,  on Thursday (14/2), around 40 working group (Pokja) representatives and technical teams attended the Focus Group Discussion (FGD) on the Preparation of the Final Zoning Plan Document for Coastal Areas and Small Islands (RZWP-3-K)  which is located in Manokwari.

This discussion activity is fully supported by the Regional Government. The event was opened by West Papua Regional Secretariat Assistant I, Drs. H. Musa Kamudi M.Sc., and started with the submission of a report from the Chairperson of the RZWP-3-K Working Group represented by the Secretary of the Office of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DKP) of West Papua Province -  Margaretha Renyaan, as Executive ​Daily Head of Provincial DKP West Papua. Prepresentation from the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) Head of Regional Zoning Sub Directorate - DJPRL, Dr. Krishna Samudra, S.Pi., M.Sc., also provided an explanation of the importance of the last FGD in the preparation of the RZWP-3-K. 

The FGD ended with the signing of the minutes of agreement on the Final Document, Spatial Allocation Map, and the Draft Regional Regulation RZWP-3-K of West Papua Province by all relevant institutions/agencies that are members of the Pokja. ​The minutes of this FGD will also serve as a guarantee for KKP, if in the future there are letters aimed at suing RZWP-3-K, these letters will not be responded to. KKP will only respond to an official letter from the Governor of West Papua. As a follow-up and step ​acceleration, Krishna Samudra said he would process Article 33 on Monday (18 February 2019).

"I appreciate the consistent spirit of the Pokja in the past 1.5 years. What made me fall in love was the resilience in resolving various conflicts and problems during the process, the documents were made by the best sons and daughters of West Papua. Hopefully after this FGD, the Working Group will have more confidence in the documents that have been prepared. If anyone has doubts about the West Papua RZWP-3-K, just show all the documents, everything is in order," said Krishna Samudra showing his appreciation for the West Papua Working Group.

"If you still need us to provide an explanation to the members of the council, don't hesitate to contact us, we will always support," he continued, assuring the full support of the KKP for the Secretary of West Papua Province and all FGD participants.

The results of the last FGD will form the basis for the West Papua Province RZWP-3-K document to be processed in accordance with Article 33 of the Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Regulation Number 23/PERMEN-KP/2016 concerning Planning for the Management of Coastal Areas and Small Islands. "I did not expect this document to be compiled in 1.5 years by a working group consisting of related OPDs, NGOs, USAID SEA Project, academics. For this reason, it is requested that ladies and gentlemen in the Working Group continue to be willing to attend when there is an invitation for discussion in the DPR. Because ladies and gentlemen are the most technical experts, so we will explain it together to the members of the council," said West Papua Regional Secretary, Drs. Nataniel D. Mandacan, M.Si.

In this final document and RZWP-3-K Regional Regulation, West Papua Province allocates approximately 4.1 million hectares of conservation space or 39% of the area of coastal areas and small islands in West Papua. The total allocation for conservation space is included in the three widest conservation space allocations regulated by RZWP-3-K for all provinces in Indonesia. This is also in line with the vision - mission of the Governor of West Papua to become a province of conservation and sustainable development.

WWF-Indonesia as the official member of the Working Group and implementing partner of the USAID Sustainable Ecosystems Advanced (USAID SEA) Project provides technical support from start to finish, such as; spatial analysis, ground check, preparation of various technical documents, and implementation of various series of activities. Even though the task of  completed Article 32 of the Regulation of the Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Number 23/PERMEN-KP/2016 concerning Planning for the Management of Coastal Zone and Small Islands has been completed, < /span>West Papua Working Group will continue to take part in overseeing the process of forming the regional regulation RZWP-3-K. Based on the results of the zoning plan technical coordination meeting last January, the Ministry of Home Affairs is targeting West Papua Regional Regulation RZWP-3-K to be completed in April 2019.

In accordance with PERMEN KP Number 23 of 2016, the preparation of RZWP-3-K sequentially starts from the formation of working groups, data collection and field surveys, preparation of base maps and thematic maps, preparation of Preliminary Documents, technical consultations and Initial Documents technical consultations, preparation of Intermediate Documents and Spatial Allocation Map, technical consultation and Intermediate Document technical consultation, harmonization of RT/RW and Provincial RZWP-3-K, preparation of Final Documents and Raperda, and responses to suggestions on Final Documents and Raperda. Until now, out of 34 provinces in Indonesia, only 16 provinces have issued Perda RZWP-3-K.