Indigenous Resource Management and Sustainable Development: Case Studies from Papua New Guinea and Indonesia.

Abstract

In tropical waters reefs provide local populations with food as well as with a source of income. Various types of regulatory measures have been adopted worldwide for the sustainable use of these resources. The cases of Papua New Guinea and Indonesia are examined to evaluate the roles of customary practices under rapidly changing socio-economic conditions. In Maluku, eastern Indonesia, harvesting of coconut, sago, trepang, trochus, and reef fish is controlled by sasi, community-based resource management practices, under prior authorization by the head of local government. In Manus, Papua New Guinea, reefs are exclusively claimed and used by certain clan members. Disputes over reef ownership are resolved through either informal compromise between local groups or judgment in the local court, which gives customary practices top priority. These cases illustrate the significant role of local government as an important agency for resource management as well as social integration.