Helping local communities protect Papua's forests

A Pygmy Long-fingered Possum, Klalik area, Vogelkop (photo: Carlos Bocos)

The Papua Community Forest Project will protect high biodiversity forests in Papua (Indonesia) by helping communities secure customary title; supporting their implementation of conservation and land management activities; and preventing industrial logging.

Professor Tim Flannery (GWF) with Soter Hae of Akawuon and Agustinus Yeblo, Tambrauw regency (Photo: Syahrul Akbar)

Partner

Global Wildlife Fund is working with a range of local partners including local communities (through community associations such as Akawuon), the Catholic Church, and the University of Papua.

Location

The initial geographic focus is the Vogelkop (Birds Head) Peninsula (see red arrow), comprising the provinces of West Papua and Southwest Papua. Other locations in Indonesian Papua will be assessed for inclusion, subject to funding.

Priority species/habitats

Ring-tailed Glider photographed in central Misool, Indonesia. (photo: Dewa/FFI)

The forests of Indonesian Papua are globally significant for biodiversity protecting an exceptional diversity of birds, mammals, amphibians and plants, with a very high level of endemism. Resident mammals include tree kangaroos, pygmy bandicoots, bronze quolls and long-beaked echidnas while the bird list features cassowaries, pittas, parrots, birds of paradise and even hornbills.

Initial priority species for Global Wildlife Fund include two mammal species described for the first time in March 2026:

Ring-tailed Glider (Tous ayamaruensis)
Pygmy Long-fingered Possum (Dactylonax kambuayai)

Both species were believed to have become extinct more than 6,000 years ago.

The Ring-tailed Glider (Tous ayamaruensis) is the nearest living relative of the Australian Greater Glider and represents the first new genus of New Guinean marsupial described since 1937. It is smaller than the Australian Greater Glider species, with unfurred ears and a strongly prehensile tail. It nests in tree hollows in the tallest forest trees and faces threats from logging.

The Ring-tailed Glider holds deep cultural significance for local communities. Tous is considered sacred by some Vogelkop clans, who have protected its forest habitat for millennia.

The Pygmy Long-fingered Possum (Dactylonax kambuayai) is a boldly striped marsupial with a remarkable adaptation – one digit on each hand is twice the length of the next longest finger. The species appears to have vanished from Australia during the Ice Age, the geological epoch when a range of iconic megafauna disappeared.

Key success measures

The key success measures will include:

The number of clans that gain customary (hutan adat) title
The number of community development plans generating socio-economic benefits for local communities
The number of hectares of high conservation value forest secured (protected from industrial logging)
The number of priority species effectively protected
Additional carbon sequestration by project forests, compared to a business as usual baseline

Project description

The project involves:

identifying high biodiversity forests in Papua where local communities (clans) wish to secure customary title – hutan adat
supporting local communities to define claim areas, map forests and develop social and economic plans (community development plans) for the management of their forests
undertaking biological surveys to document forest biodiversity and resources
assisting with the submission of hutan adat claims and engaging with Government agencies in relation to the assessment and approval of those claims
supporting the initial implementation of community development plans, including establishment of local ranger groups, to provide for the long term conservation and management of forests and generation of socio-economic benefits for clans.

The first (pilot) stage of the project is focused on the development and submission of hutan adat claims for over 20,000 hectares of forest in the Fef regency. This includes the kauri forests which represent a stronghold for species like the Tous (Ring-tailed Glider).

Mapping proccess in the Baru Asuon forest (photo: Akawuon)

Mapping preparation meeting at Akawuon in Fef, Tambrauw (photo: Akawuon)

Costs

The estimated project cost over 3.5 years is approximately $5.5 million to secure customary title for local communities over ~200,000 hectares.

At around $30 / hectare, this represents an exceptional return – delivering socio-economic benefits for communities and increased protection for forests that are of global significance in terms of biodiversity and climate.

Initial seed funding has been provided by generous Australian philanthropists and the Minderoo Foundation.

Tous, subadult, South Sorong area, Vogelkop Peninsula (photo: Arman Muharmansyah)

Risk mitigation

There are a range of risks associated with working in remote areas across Indonesian Papua. Mitigation strategies will include:

Staged implementation of the project means that learnings from an initial (pilot) phase will inform expansion to additional forest areas.
Candidate forests are carefully screened for community support, likelihood of success and to minimise security and other risks.
A network of respected local partners is engaged including community associations, institutions such as the University of Papua and professional advisors.
Financial and project management is supported by application of Global Wildlife Fund systems.

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