By: Theodora F. Resubun (Project Leader Lorentz)

Behind his large stature, Jhon Aby Way is a friendly and humble man. He is a conservationist in the Central Highlands of Papua.

The former Head of the Jayawijaya Regency Forestry Service is now the Head of the Papua Province Regional Investment Agency. He is one of the figures behind the establishment of the Lorentz National Park office and the initiator of the Lorentz National Park Management Collaboration Forum (FKPTN Lorentz). In the midst of his busy schedule in government, Mr. John, as he is called, is also still actively involved in conservation efforts in the central mountains of Papua, especially Lorentz National Park (Lorentz NP).

I can feel his friendly and humble impression when talking and discussing with him. For more than 20 years, Mr. Jhon has paid special attention to conservation in the central mountains of Papua and in Lorentz National Park. This area covers 10 districts with an area of 2.5 million ha. He pays special attention because this area holds so much biodiversity that is very complete and mostly endemic to Papua.

At the beginning of the establishment of the Lorentz National Park office, when there was a tug-of-war over the location of the office between the Mimika and Jayawijaya local governments, Mr. Jhon actively convinced the Ministry of Forestry so that it was decided that the office would be located in Wamena. He was also the one who convinced the Jayawijaya Regional Government to pay for the land where the Lorentz National Park office is located at the expense of the regional budget.

This man from Sorong has eaten a lot of conservation experience. Mr. Jhon is also not stingy in sharing his experience and knowledge in conservation with his juniors. I remember meeting and discussing with him when he was the Head of the Forestry Service. I greeted him a little awkwardly and shyly. However, he graciously greeted me with the familiar call of younger brother.

Pak John initiated the establishment of FKPTN Lorentz with WWF-Indonesia Papua Program Director Benja Mambai, former Lorentz NP Head Yunus Rumbarar, and Christian Mambor from Lorentz NP. This forum is a multi-stakeholder platform for the management of Lorentz NP. The forum's first products were the Lorentz NP Zoning Document and the Lorentz NP management plan, although at the time the forum was not yet legally authorized.

""We must be able to influence parties and policies to support the management of Lorentz NP,"" he said. The dream to be realized through this forum is the realization of cooperation between parties to support the preservation of Lorentz NP while improving the welfare of indigenous peoples. The forum's institutionalization is Papuan-style, not the same as similar forums in other regions. When talking about FKPTN, you will immediately see the uniqueness of Papua.

Not only with me, he also patiently shared his experiences with people he knew for the first time. For example, when he first met Priyono, a lecturer at the University of Cendrawasih (Uncen), he patiently responded to a discussion about the Baliem watershed. Mr. Jhon patiently answered all of our curiosities and shared his past experiences when he was still working in the field.

When I, along with several colleagues from the Lorentz National Park Center, was working on the FKPTN Lorentz document, he was very active in asking about its progress amidst his busy schedule in the government. He did not hesitate to visit us in person and give us feedback or call to ask about the Forum's progress.

His strong commitment and concern for conservation in Lorentz NP makes him still willing to be a board member of FKPTN Lorentz in between his busy work. One of his wishes is to be able to influence policies at the Papua scale to favor development for the welfare of the community but not forgetting environmental and conservation elements.

Pak Jhon continues to strive to realize our common dream, the realization of the preservation of Lorentz National Park as a life support based on local community values. Hopefully.