Fundraising Training to Support Sustainable Management of Conservation Areas in Southwest Papua

To support the effective management of marine conservation areas and MHA management areas in Southwest Papua Province, the Southwest Papua Provincial Government through the Food, Agriculture, Maritime and Fisheries Service (DPPKP) together with the Nusantara Nature Conservation Foundation (YKAN) held training on raising and managing sustainable funds, in Sorong, Southwest Papua, 9-11 January 2024. This training is a series of similar activities carried out on 1-2 December 2023.

The training involved the community and representatives of the Traditional Council from villages in the Raja Ampat Regency, Sorong Regency, and Tambrauw Regency. The participants came from North Misool District, Makbon District, Selemkai District, Mega District, Moraid District (Maksegara), and Werur District.

These villages are working to make their water areas conservation areas, including around 19,000 hectares of areas managed by Indigenous Peoples (MHA) spread across Sorong Regency and Tambrauw Regency.

"As managers of the MHA management area, we are very grateful for being included in this training. This activity can motivate and trigger us to manage conservation areas. "The material in this training is essential in supporting sustainable conservation area management and bringing economic benefits to communities around the MHA management area," said Head of the Malaumkarta MHA Management Unit, Torianus Kalami, who participated in this training.

"To achieve conservation targets and economic benefits in the MHA management area, appropriate and sustainable budgeting is needed to implement the management plan. "Budgeting can help conservation area management institutions and MHA area management institutions to carry out the functions of monitoring, mentoring, disseminating information, controlling, and increasing community capacity," explained YKAN Bird's Head Seascape Senior Manager Lukas Rumetna.

"To achieve conservation targets and economic benefits in the MHA management area, appropriate and sustainable budgeting is needed to implement the management plan. "Budgeting can help conservation area management institutions and MHA area management institutions to carry out the functions of monitoring, mentoring, disseminating information, controlling, and increasing community capacity," explained YKAN Bird's Head Seascape Senior Manager Lukas Rumetna.

Lukas added that the management agency is still new and needs adequate and independent funding to manage conservation areas. For this reason, YKAN is holding training to increase management institutions' capacity to know how efforts can be made to obtain budgets or raise funds (fundraising) to support independent management of conservation areas and MHA areas.

Training stages

The training was carried out in two stages, namely, introduction and discussion regarding fundraising and technical guidance on fundraising. The participants received an explanation regarding fundraising and prepared a proposal framework by taking case studies according to conditions in the local area. They were then followed by a group discussion to formulate a series of programs and activities and build understanding regarding effective and appropriate fundraising, including procedures for conveying and proposing programs submitted through proposals to potential donors.

"With this training, it is hoped that conservation area management institutions and MHA area managers will be able to recognize the importance of fundraising aspects for institutional sustainability, identify types of fundraising efforts, develop fundraising strategies, prepare proposals, present proposals, and prepare accountability reports for the use of funds to donors. "Fundraising is crucial for social institutions or organizations to support the running of programs and operations of managing institutions," said YKAN Development and Marketing Director Ratih Loekito.