During the management of conservation areas, assessments of management effectiveness represent an important instrument when identifying priorities and resource allocation as a part of attempts to achieve sustainable management goals. The management of conservation areas within Papua Province is the responsibility of the Natural Resources Conservation Center (BBKSDA) in Papua Province, which is the technical implementing unit of the Directorate-General of Natural Resources and Ecosystem Conservation at the Ministry of Environment and Forestry. BBKSDA Papua manages 19 conservation areas of a total area of approximately 4,132,502.71 hectares spread across 24 districts/cities and four provinces, specifically Papua, Central Papua, Central Mountain Papua and South Papua.

In order to assess the effectiveness of conservation area management within its territory, BBKSDA Papua organized an assessment of 10 conservation areas under its administration from 14 - 15 September 2023 in Jayapura, Papua. This follows assessments of nine other conservation areas that were carried out at the end of last year.

The assessment activity for the 10 conservation areas was opened by the Head of the Papua BBKSDA, A.G. Martana, S.Hut., MH., and was attended by 60 participants who were representing related parties. During the assessment, the Director of Conservation Area Management, Jefri Susyafrianto, delivered his speech and directions online.

To assess the effectiveness of conservation area management, the Directorate-General of Natural Resources and Ecosystem Conservation has created the Management Effectiveness Tracking Tool (METT), which is an internationally accepted approach to the monitoring and assessment of the overall management of conservation areas. The METT can help conservation area managers assess how effectively their conservation areas are being managed and what efforts are required in order to maintain and/or improve existing conditions. The assessment will ultimately result in recommendations and action plans that will hopefully increase the overall effectiveness of conservation area management.

For more information, please contact:
Ruben Yogi, Junior Adviser for GIS and Forest Mapping
Mohammad Sidiq, Strategic Area Manager for Sustainable Forest Management and Coordinator for Tanah Papua