In an effort to improve coordination and synergy in relation to environmental and forestry development within the Papua ecoregion, the Ecoregion Development Center (P3E) of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (MoEF) held a Working Meeting on the Environmental and Forestry Development of the Papua Ecoregion from 10 – 11 August 2023 in Merauke, South Papua Province. The event was opened by the acting Governor of South Papua, Dr. Ir. Apolo Safanpo, and was attended by the Secretary General of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Dr. Bambang Hendroyono, as well as by a number of Echelon II officials from the MoEF, the heads of various provincial services and all heads of the MoeF technical implementation units currently operating in Tanah Papua. The working meeting was organized in order to align activity programmes at the site level as a part of efforts aimed at preserving natural resources and the environment.

In his speech, the acting Governor of South Papua reminded the attendees that the main priority during the management of natural resources must be to increase the capacity of the available human resources, "Natural resources must be used wisely and we should work to increase human resource capacity."

In the minutes of the working meeting, FORCLIME 4.0 activities in Tanah Papua were explained, as well as the hope that the various assistance activities being implemented by Forest Farmer Groups/Social Forestry Business Groups would continue into the future. These activities include the identification of training requirements in relation to mapping for staff of the planning department of Forest Management Units (KPH). In addition, there are also tentative plans for competency development to be undertaken by FORCLIME, which will continue various assistance activities for Forest Farmer Groups/Social Forestry Business Groups within Papua Province (in collaboration with the Papua Forestry and Environment Service, the Center for Social Forestry and Environmental Partnerships - BPSKL - Maluku and Papua, and the Center for Conservation and Natural Resources - BBKSDA - Papua) and Southwest Papua (in collaboration with BPSKL Maluku and Papua, KPH Tambrauw and KPH Sorong Selatan), as well as Geographic Information System training for KPH Forest Planning staff in Papua and Southwest Papua Provinces.

For further information, please contact:
Pipin Permadi, Senior Adviser for Forest Policy
Mohammad Sidiq, Strategic Area Manager for Sustainable Forest Management and Coordinator for Tanah Papua