Eco-tourism Promotion of Arfak Mountains in Manokwari Regency

I have been promoting Manokwari regency and its surrounding region as tourist destinations for the last two years intensively. This ecotourism promotion is mainly carried out using the internet through website and blogs. I am glad that after this aggressive promotion, the number of tourists coming to Manokwari is increasing. However, it is still low to bring real impact on the improvements of the economy of the indigenous people.

The Goal of the Development of Alternative Tourism

The objective of the ecotourism program of Manokwari regency of West Papua province of Indonesia is to create jobs for the indigenous Papuan people particularly those who live in remote areas in Arfak mountains, and Numfor island. When the indigenous Papuan people can live from the eco-tourism "industry," I hope that they will not be tempted to give up their lands and tropical rainforest for irresponsible exploitation and logging.

What needs to be done?

Tourists who visit Arfak mountains need adequate facilities such as guesthouse and health clinic and good roads to reach the area. In addition, they need to be guided and served by the indigenous Papuan who can speak English language. I have tried my best in helping the local people in Arfak mountains particularly in building their capacity to achieve the above goal but I have to say that I cannot do it alone. The local government and international NGOs need to give their helping hands too.

Preservation of Tropical Rainforest

The tropical rainforest in Arfak mountains is home to a lot of species of birds, reptiles, insects and mammals. The eco-tourism activities are centered in wildlife watching and trekking. Tourists who visit the Arfak mountains can spend between two days to 2 weeks traveling around the villages in the area. Because their presence attracts the attention of the villagers, their love of nature will influence the behavior of the indigenous Papuan. The villagers know that they can make money by protecting the birds of paradise that live in the slopes of their mountains. They know that women in the village can get some income by cooking food for the tourists and the youth can also earn some income by working as porters for the tourists who are hiking in the jungle.

Challenges

Eco-tourism does not always bring positive impacts to the region where it is developed. There are a number of negative impacts that we have to deal with in order to create a healthy program that brings positive benefits both to the people and nature. Because tourists who come to the region bring money, the villages in Arfak mountains compete one another to get more tourists. Potential horizontal conflicts should be minimized through the development of eco-tourism program that will cover the whole region. The shift from hunting and gathering as well as farming lifestyles towards service industry may create rise in food prices that often beyond the reach of the villagers who are not directly involved in tourism program. And finally the presence of the foreign travelers with their modern lifestyle and secular culture will influence the traditional culture which have been preserved by the indigenous communities for generations.

Even though the negative impacts may change the lifestyle of the indigenous people, if properly managed, ecotourism program can bring more positive impacts that greatly improves their standard of living and preserve the pristine environment. So, there are no reasons for me to stop the promotion of ecotourism for Arfak mountains. by Charles Roring