Following the issuance of the Decree of the Minister of Environment and Forestry No. 113/MENLHK/SETJENT/PLA.2/2/2022 on the Designation of Management Units Areas for Protected Forest Management and Production Forest Management Units for the Province of West Papua, the management areas of forest management units (KPH) are no longer based on watersheds but are instead now based on administrative areas. This means that the areas and number of KPHs in West Papua Province have also changed and now amount to 14 units. As a result of this change, the West Papua Forestry Service held a coaching clinic session for all KPHs operating within the province from 19 - 21 January 2023 in Sorong City, Southwest Papua Province. The purpose of this activity was to assist KPH managers in the preparation of Long-Term Forest Management Plans (RPHJP) and the implementation of forest management in accord-ance with the new regulations. The coaching clinic was the result of a collaboration between the West Papua Forestry Service, the Faculty of Forestry, the University of Papua and GIZ FORCLIME and each of these parties made a significant contribution to the event.

The meeting was opened by the Head of the West Papua Provincial Forestry Service, Ir. Runaweri F.H., MM., and was also attended by officials from the new province of Southwest Papua, as well as by the Head of the Environment, Forestry and Agrarian Service, Julian Kelly Kambu, ST., M.SI.

During the event, resource persons from the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (MoEF) presented various types of information and knowledge, as follows:

1. Ir. Roni Saeful-lah Burhani, M.Sc. from the Directorate of Forest Utilization Planning, MoEF delivered an explanation of Minister of Environment and Forestry Regulation No. 8 of 2021.
2. Ir. Eleonora Purwanty, M.M. from the Directorate of Forest Utilization Planning, MoEF delivered a presentation on planning and forest management in KPH areas.
3. Ir. Eleonora Purwanty, M.M. and Indah Diana Puspita, S.Hut., M.E. from the Directorate of Forest Utilization Planning, MoEF offered insights into and an outline of the development of an RPHJP document.
4. Syarifuddin S.Hut. from the Center for the Consolidation of Forest Areas and Environmental Management (BPKHTL) at Manokwari, MoEF offered a presentation on Thematic Geospatial Information and Forest Planning in West Papua Province.

Another resource person in attendance was the Head of the West Papua Forest Service, Ir. Runaweri F.H., M.M., who shared information on the Development of KPH in West Papua Province. In addition, the Forestry Faculty Team from the University of Papua presented methods for the making of inventories in relation to various bio-geophysical and social, economic and cultural aspects.

Various notes relating to the development of a forest management plan resulted from the three-day meeting, as follows:

• Acceleration teams for RPHJP Preparation for Forest Management Units (KPH) in West Papua Province and Southwest Papua Province will be established.
• Data centers for the preparation of the KPH RPHJP at the West Papua Province Forest Service and the Environment, Forestry and Agrarian Service of Southwest Papua Province will be established.
• The West Papua Provincial Forestry Service and the Southwest Papua Provincial Environmental, Forestry and Agrarian Service will allocate budgets for the preparation of the RPHJP document, including for the conducting of biogeophysical-socio-cultural surveys, the preparation of forest plans and public consultations.
• The two regional services will also allocate budgets and collaborate with development partners in order to increase the capacities of the HR of KPH through activities such as coaching clinics, training sessions and so on.
• The monitoring of the acceleration of forest management plan (RPHJP) development by KPH in the provinces of West Papua and Southwest Papua will be carried out by the Directorate of Forest Utilization Planning Development at the Ministry of Environment and Forestry.

For more information, please contact:
Nita Yohana, Adviser for Sustainable Forest Management and Coordinator for West Papua Province
Mohammad Sidiq, Strategic Area Manager for Sustainable Forest Management and Coordinator for Papua and West Papua Provinces