Women managers, local wisdom, and customary practice in marine conservation, Raja Ampat, Papua

The critical role of women in natural resource management is becoming increasingly recognized globally. In many Pacific communities, women are highly dependent on natural resources to feed and support their families, and their lives are closely entwined with the quality and quantity of these resources. However, in traditional patriarchal systems, women face multiple challenges related to traditional gender dynamics, including unequal access to natural resources, and lack of decision-making power. “Sasi,” a customary practice to manage the continuous supply of forest or marine resources by applying temporary harvest closures, has been practiced for more than 400 years in the eastern part of Indonesia, historically by men. In a worldfirst initiative, a women’s group in West Papua, Waifuna, undertook management of a sasi in 2008, with their rights fully acknowledged by the subvillage government, church, and customary holders. Here, we describe and discuss the group’s management of sea cucumbers and lobsters. We found that, despite the challenges they faced, through sasi management women increased their capacity to participate in conservation activities and decision-making, as well as contribute to marine conservation efforts. In addition, the whole community benefitted from changing perspectives on women’s abilities to manage natural resources because of the deconstruction of the prohibitive social norms that restricted women’s participation in the past.