CONSERVATION AND COMMUNITY INSTITUTIONAL STRENGTHENING: A STUDY OF A NATIVE PAPUAN PLANT NURSERY PROGRAMME IN THE MALASIGI VILLAGE FOREST, SOUTHWEST PAPUA

Muhammad Ishlah Ramadhan; Menase Fami; Amarullah; Nonon Saribanon

doi:10.59689/jsps.v7i3.390

Muhammad Ishlah Ramadhan Pertamina EP Papua Field Sorong
Menase Fami Lembaga Pengelola Hutan Desa (LPHD) Belempe Malasigi Sorong
Amarullah Pertamina EP Papua Field Sorong
Nonon Saribanon Universitas Nasional

DOI: https://doi.org/10.59689/jsps.v7i3.390

Keywords: Community Based Conservation; Corporate Social Responsibility; Institutional Strengthening; Papua; Social Forestry

Abstract

Community‑based nursery programmes are increasingly promoted as a bridge between plant conservation and Indigenous livelihoods, yet their evaluation rarely moves beyond counting seedlings. This study examines the nursery programme run by the Belempe Village Forest Management Institution (LPHD Belempe) in the Malasigi customary village, Sorong Regency, Southwest Papua, through three analytical lenses: ecological composition, the legitimacy of conservation claims, and institutional capacity. Using a descriptive‑evaluative case study design, data were collected through a nursery inventory, structured observation, semi‑structured interviews with 15 key informants, and document review, and were analysed through proportional analysis, a taxonomic and conservation‑status audit, and SWOT–TOWS analysis. The programme produced 5,000 seedlings of 11 taxa: agroforestry (53.5%), multipurpose (30.0%), and Rare, Threatened and Endemic (RTE) species (16.5%). The audit, however, shows that one third of the seedlings are introduced fruit species, and that the RTE label is only partly consistent with formal status, as Intsia bijuga is assessed as Near Threatened by the IUCN while Aquilaria spp. are listed in CITES Appendix II. The central finding is a persistent gap between outputs (seedlings produced) and outcomes (seedlings surviving, planted and used), sustained by the absence of monitoring rules within the institution and by a high dependence on a single corporate partner. The study proposes species verification, seedling quality standards, a tiered monitoring framework, functional zoning of seedling distribution, a phased partnership exit strategy, and protocols for free, prior and informed consent over noken‑related traditional knowledge

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