Spatial analysis for the rapid assessment of conservation and economy (RACE) in Irian Jaya

Since January 2001, Conservation International (CI) has been conducting a Rapid Assessment of Conservation and Economy (RACE) in Papua. The project has two purposes: 1) to upgrade key enabling conditions to ensure that the central government devolution of environmental management to the Papua Province and its districts will have favorable impact on regional conservation; and 2) to assist in the establishment of a coordination mechanism that engages key regional stakeholders in natural resource management decision-making and strengthen the use of conservation management skills in Papua. These purposes are carried out through several sectoral analyses. The grant agreement between Conservation International (CI) and the Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) aims to support spatial analyses for the RACE in Irian Jaya. Thes main purposes of these spatial analyses are (i) to map the main development trends of the regional transport infrastructure and several sector of activities such as logging, mining, oil palm plantation and timber estates, and (ii) to examine what would be the impact of these development trends the protected areas, national parks, and wilderness landscapes.