Sasi and the Dynamics of Community Conservation Governance in Raja Ampat, West Papua, Indonesia

Arif Satria (1), Rilus A. Kinseng (2), Diah Krisnatuti (3) (1) Department of Communication and Community Development Science, Faculty of Human Ecology, Bogor Agricultural University. Email: arifsatria@apps.ipb.ac.id (2)... [ view full abstract ]

Arif Satria (1), Rilus A. Kinseng (2), Diah Krisnatuti (3) 

(1) Department of Communication and Community Development Science, Faculty of Human Ecology, Bogor Agricultural University. Email: arifsatria@apps.ipb.ac.id

(2) Department of Communication and Community Development Science, Faculty of Human Ecology, Bogor Agricultural University

(3) Department of Family and Consumer Science, Faculty of Human Ecology, Bogor Agricultural University

Ecological problems in the fisheries and marine sector have become a global concern. The discourse on how to manage resources, especially to promote sustainable and equitable fisheries management, has resulted in dissention concerning the necessity of conservation. Marine conservation areas pose several problems. Conflicts triggered by the marginalization of local communities are common with types of coercive conservation areas, as a consequence of a centralistic approach. This study aims to analyze the dynamics of governance of marine conservation areas in Indonesia. The study was conducted in Misool Island, Raja Ampat, West Papua, which is managed through a community-based conservation approach. The results of this study indicate that customary-based conservation mechanisms called "sasi" weakened in some areas, but in other regions strengthened. The dynamics in institutional sasi are influenced by internal and external challenges. Internal challenges include conflicts over land and coastal territorial claims. In addition, the institution of sasi began to fade due to the problem of regeneration. However, the existence of NGOs has important roles in strengthening the institution of sasi. External challenges arise from the Misool Island region being defined as a Regional Water Conservation Area, which is managed by the Local Government. As a new conservation area, the conservation agency has not been well established in terms of funding and the capacity of human resources. Eventually, the actors’ interests over marine resources become more complex due to an increase of marine tourism activities.