NRM News Archive
Issue 18, September 18, 2002
Rp 300 Million in Village Conservation Projects Funded by Bunaken Management Board
The Bunaken National Park Management Advisory Board (DPTNB) took a major step forward in August with the funding of Rp 300,000,000 in village-level conservation and development
projects for the 30 settlements within Bunaken National Park. Throughout August and continuing into September, official ceremonies have been held throughout the park to award
the grants and initiate the projects, which range from the construction of community conservation information centers to mangrove replanting programs to construction of public
toilet and well facilities and paving village paths.
All project proposals were submitted via the separate village branches of the Bunaken National Park Concerned Citizen's Forum (FMPTNB) and were subject to review and approval
by DPTNB subcommittees. All FMPTNB village proposals were required to be environmentally friendly and to be of broad public benefit, with signatures on each by the village chief,
head of village council and the local Camat. Villagers responded enthusiastically to this democratic process of project proposal writing, which was considered much more transparent
and representative than the typical process by which local governments usually award projects to villages. Moreover, it is hoped that the full transparency of the budgets involved
in each village project will prevent any misuse of these funds.
As these projects were funded exclusively from the revenues generated by the Bunaken park entrance fee system, this development signifies the partial fulfillment of a long-standing
DPTNB commitment to share the benefits of tourism with all inhabitants of the park. While each settlement only received on average Rp 10 million in project funding, this nonetheless
was viewed very positively by all villagers involved as proof that the DPTNB delivers on its promises, and has resulted in a surge in public support for the DPTNB. There is hope that
the amount of money which the DPTNB can commit to conservation programs in each of the park's 30 settlements each year will continue to grow with the continued success of the park
entrance fee system. The current allocation of Rp 300 million represents approximately 30% of the targeted entrance fee revenues for 2002, with most of the remaining user fees
supporting the joint patrol system and several other small DPTNB initiatives such as reef monitoring and solid waste management programs.
In other DPTNB news, WWF US Vice President David Sandalow and WWF Wallacea North Sulawesi officer Boyke Lakaseru signed an MOU with the board on 31 July 2002 committing $21,900
in continued funding for the joint ranger/water police/village patrol system in the park. This follows an $11,000 grant from WWF to the DPTNB for patrol support in 2001, and reflects
WWF's satisfaction with the highly effective patrol system, which has virtually eliminated destructive fishing practices such as blast and cyanide fishing from Bunaken. The increased
funding is to be used to both continue the current patrol system and expand it further into the northern reaches of the park and beyond to the northern tip of the North Sulawesi
peninsula (around Talise and Bangka islands).
Mark V. Erdmann
Marine Protected Areas Advisor
NRM/EPIQ SULUT
erdmann@nrm.or.id
Maxi Wowiling
Program Manager
DPTNB
dptnb@indosat.net.id
Issue 17, September 4, 2002
Mantehage Island's Zonation Revision Completed; Siladen's Just Begun
Sixteen months after the initiation of the park zonation revision process on Mantehage Island (Bunaken National Park), village chiefs and village council chairmen from the four villages
on the island signed off on a revised zonation plan in late July in a gala ceremony presided over by the local Camat and the head of the Balai Taman Nasional Bunaken. As with previous
NRM-assisted revised zonation plans for Bunaken and Manado Tua Islands, the Mantehage zonation plan reduces the previous seven zone types to just three (core conservation zones, tourism
use zones, and village use zones) and is the result of an extensive public consultation process with the roughly 3000 villagers on the island and the private tourism sector. However,
the consultation/revision process that evolved for Mantehage represents yet another model for village-level participatory decision-making on natural resource management issues.
Unlike the Bunaken Island zonation revision process (whereby villager participation was pursued with gender, religion and livelihood-based focus groups such as the Christian woman's group,
tuna pole-and-line fishers and women handicraft peddlers) or the Manado Tua process (where villager participation was insured by focus meetings with each of the 20 settlements/neighborhoods
on the small island), the Mantehage zonation revision process was pursued through working directly with the four democratically-elected village councils on the island. This new approach
was in large part a product of the timing of the initiation of the zonation revision process on Mantehage in March 2001, as the village councils had just been elected and were keen
to tackle their first policy challenge. While the process was quite time-consuming (there were difficulties in getting the four councils to agree on the overall zonation plan),
it was strongly supported by the Camat's office throughout this time and has become a source of pride for all the Mantehage villagers - both council members and those represented
by the council. Zonation posters and billboards are currently being developed and will be distributed to each of the families on Mantehage Island by early October.
In each of these three island cases mentioned above, the village zonation revision/facilitation approach was crafted based upon extensive initial feedback from villagers, who gave excellent
insight on village dynamics and the type of participatory approach most likely to succeed in their individual villages. It is interesting to note that as the zonation revision process has
now moved to its fourth island (Siladen, the smallest island in Bunaken National Park), the participatory approach suggested by villagers there is yet again different from the three
abovementioned ones. In this case, because the total population of this island is quite small (around 70 families) and the community is very closely-knit, an all-inclusive townhall
meeting approach has been advocated whereby all villagers are welcome at each of the meetings. The process has proceeded quickly throughout the month of August, culminating with a
team of villagers accompanying NRM/EPIQ field workers to manta tow (a technique for rapid coral reef monitoring) their entire island in order to make informed decisions on the best
siting for zone types. All indications are that the Siladen zonation revision process should be completed by the end of October 2002.
Mark Erdmann, Roy Pangalila, Patrys Bahowo and
Meity Mongdong
NRM/EPIQ North Sulawesi
Issue 15, August 7, 2002
Improving the Capacity of the Bunaken National Park Management Advisory Board
In late December 2000, the North Sulawesi government passed a Governor's Decree (SK Gubernor No 233/200) mandating the formation of the Bunaken National Park Management Advisory Board (BNPMAB).
The main purposes of the board are to manage the new entrance-fee system of the Bunaken National Park; to assist the Balai Taman Nasional Bunaken in developing, coordinating and funding
conservation programs; to facilitate and encourage community awareness and participation in the park management activities; and to instill sense of ownership by the local communities.
The board was created with 15 equal seats, including seven government representatives and eight non-government representatives. This is an innovative system for managing and coordinating
activities in a national park in Indonesia and the region. If successful, it will provide a best-practices example for coordinated multi-stakeholder marine park management in Indonesia
and South-east Asia. The board was granted a two-year trial period, which will conclude in December this year.
In preparation for the two-year review of the board and its further development as a multi-stakeholder institution contributing to the successful management of Bunaken National Park,
NRM/EPIQ has commissioned a needs assessment evaluation of the BNPMAB. This five month consultancy is aimed at working with relevant stakeholders to assess current institutional
capacity and park conservation management needs, prepare a gap analysis to better understand institutional strengths and weaknesses as related to park management challenges,
and develop a two-year institutional development plan that will contribute to the board's long term financial and technical sustainability.
Long standing management challenges for Bunaken National Park include cultural conflicts and mistrust amongst local stakeholders and managers; damaging fishing and land-use practices;
rapid and poorly planned coastal development; unethical business and political practices; corrupt law enforcement systems; and unorganized management strategies. Since the board's
inception, management processes have become more transparent and participatory, and management outputs have increased dramatically. Despite the initial successes of the board and
the new entrance-fee system, many management challenges remain. The current evaluation of the board will contribute significantly to it's capacity and potential for improving
management processes, coordinating management and conservation activities in the park and raising stakeholder awareness and participation in management.
The evaluation of the board will conclude in September and a final report will provide results and recommendations for improving the board and Bunaken National Park management in the future.
For more information contact:
Nancy Dahl-Tacconi
MPA Institutional Development Consultant
NRM/EPIQ SULUT
erdmann@nrm.or.id
Mark V. Erdmann
Marine Protected Areas Advisor
ntacconi@indo.net.id
