The residents should be viewed as a solution and not an enemy from the national park and conservation area management standpoint.Jakarta (ANTARA) - Natural Resources and Ecosystem Conservation Director General Wiratno at the Ministry of Environment and Forestry underscored the importance of conducting partnership with the local community for conservation efforts at various national parks and conservation areas.
"I encourage conservation partnership as a solution," he said at the 2021 Year End Reflection event here on Friday.
"This is because the conservation area is not just a blank slate with no long historical relations with the people within that area," he elaborated.
Conducting conservation partnership, much like what has been applied at several national parks and conservation areas, would make the people within the local community feel appreciated, he explained.
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This approach also reduces conflict between national park workers and the local residents, he remarked.
Wiratno noted that the participation of local residents in preserving conservation areas can be increased by simply providing other economical options to drive prosperity of the local community.
This conservation partnership approach has been applied at several national parks, such as for crab cultivation in Thousand Islands in Jakarta; seaweed utilization in Karimunjawa, Central Java; and mushroom cultivation in Meru Betiri, East Java.
"The residents should be viewed as a solution and not an enemy from the national park and conservation area management standpoint," Wiratno affirmed.
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According to the ministry's data, from 2018 to November 2021, some 176 thousand hectares were included within the conservation partnership in 69 conservation areas and involved 12,621 residents.
Earlier, the Environment and Forestry Ministry released eight orangutans into the natural forest at the Bukit Baka Bukit Raya National Park in Kalimantan after undergoing rehabilitation at the Nyaru Menteng Orangutan Rehabilitation Center.
The activity was also noted to involve local residents in order to encourage them to participate in preserving orangutans and their habitat.
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Translator: Prisca Triferna, Fadhli Ruhman
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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