Tutus Wijanarko (Community Right Based Management Officer, WWF-Indonesia Lesser Sunda Project)

The Pantar Strait and Surrounding Sea Sanctuary (SAP) Conservation Area located in Alor Regency, East Nusa Tenggara, is a water area that has extraordinary marine and coastal resource potential, with a total area of 276,693.38 hectares. The area, which was recently established by the Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries on June 16, 2015 through Decree No. 35/2015, is a water area that has a high diversity of marine ecosystems and fish species. This area is also a home and migration route for marine mammals such as dugongs, whales and dolphins.

In managing the Pantar Strait SAP Area, the involvement of all parties is needed, from the local government, tourism actors, to the community. Moving on from this, WWF-Indonesia took the initiative to encourage the existence of a local partnership network in the Pantar Strait SAP area. On December 8, 2015, WWF-Indonesia together with the Cinta Persahabatan Group visited and discussed with lodging managers and marine tourism managers La P'Tite Kepa on Kepa Island, Alor Kecil District. The purpose of this meeting was to introduce the Cinta Persahabatan Group - a group that focuses on mangrove nursery, planting, rehabilitation and campaign efforts - to La P'Tite Kepa, as well as to explore collaborative efforts between the two parties in the future.

La P'Tite Kepa lodge has ten cottages (cottage) that are built by prioritizing natural materials that are environmentally friendly and do not cause waste impacts. The roofs are made from alang-alang; the walls are made from woven bamboo; and the floors and walls are made from wood. The architectural design of this cottage is a combination of lopo - the traditional house of the indigenous tribe of Alor, namely the Abui Tribe - local to Alor (Lopo) with a modern touch, where the restroom facilities are adjusted to the standards of hygiene and comfort of visitors.

From the results of the discussion, La P'Tite Kepa appreciated the existence of environmental conservation community groups such as the Friendship Love Group and welcomed the cooperation efforts between the two parties. The planned cooperation is through offering the adoption of mangrove saplings from the Friendship Love Group to tourists visiting or staying at La P'Tite Kepa. The donation offered to tourists is around IDR 50,000 per mangrove sapling which will be assisted with planting and maintenance by the Cinta Persahabatan Group. In addition, the mangrove saplings are planned to be geotagged, so that donors can monitor the growth of their mangrove saplings online. The mangrove adoption concept itself was inspired by WWF-Indonesia's 'My Baby Mangrove' donation program that has been conducted in several locations in Indonesia.

By participating in this program, tourists who donate indirectly contribute to the conservation of mangrove ecosystems in Alor Regency, as well as support the voluntary mangrove conservation movement that has been carried out by the Cinta Persahabatan Group together with other mangrove conservation groups, namely Jikengwar, which was only established in February 2015.

"Not only through the donation of mangrove saplings, tourists who come and stay at La P'Tite Kepa can also directly visit the location of mangrove seeding and planting owned by the Friendship Love Group. This will be a new and interesting thing for tourists in Alor, as well as an alternative tourist activity for tourists after doing diving tours in the waters around Kepa Island," said Anne, the manager of La P'Tite Kepa inn.

"But of course, facilities and supporting information must be prepared properly and correctly, including information on visiting hours, specific location plans, and the availability of guides or tourist escorts," continued the French woman.

For WWF-Indonesia, the collaborative effort between La P'Tite Kepa Inn and the Friendship Love Group is expected to serve as an example of the implementation of responsible tourism activities in a conservation area, as well as providing economic benefits to local communities who support these efforts.

In addition to assisting mangrove conservation groups such as the Friendship Love Group and Jikengwar, WWF-Indonesia also assists other community groups in the Pantar Strait SAP, namely seaweed farming groups, which are accompanied by the Seaweed Forum (FoRLA). This group, which has implemented best management practices in their cultivation business, is expected to be able to network with other marine and coastal resource users in the Pantar Strait SAP, especially related to sustainable fisheries practices.