Kampung Asai

Initially, Kampung Asai originated from an old village (pura mati). In 1963, the residents of the pura mati village moved to Kampung Asai due to difficulties in accessing the church for worship. Therefore, the people of Kampung Asai (Marga Abubar and Marga Kewari) agreed to designate their customary land as a settlement. Kampung Asai was incorporated into the administration in 1978, and then the local government approved the expansion of Kampung Asai. This Kampung Asai, besides being a place of residence, is also utilized by the community to seek forest resource potential and protect sacred places. Protection of this area has been carried out for generations—the community believes that their ancestors taught them to utilize natural resources in a limited manner. Although protection initiatives have been conducted for generations, this protection practice began to be carried out procedurally with the help of external institutions in 2017 in collaboration with WWF Indonesia. The program includes assistance, facilitation of participatory mapping, preparation of management plans, as well as identification of wildlife potential (turtles and birds of paradise) and socialization of the registration of community conservation management areas in Kampung Asai. The main rule established in protecting Kampung Asai is to refrain from illegal hunting. Currently, management is carried out collectively by the community under the responsibility of customary institutions and village government.

The management practices in Kampung Asai contribute to wildlife conservation—consistent with the community's main goal, which is to protect high-value wildlife such as Birds of Paradise and Turtles from hunting threats & to preserve natural resources/ecosystems and biodiversity that are perceived to be declining due to shifts in utilization patterns in the community. Additionally, it also protects the cultural identity of the community found in Kampung Asai as a symbol of history and protects/utilizes the surrounding flora and fauna in a limited manner while considering the impacts of environmentally damaging activities such as the use of poisons. The following are the flora and fauna found in Kampung Asai:

Flora

1. Resin (Oyuri)
2. Merbau (Do)
3. Matoa (Mehu)
4. Lianggua (Hanambi)
5. Lebani (Aikapo)

Fauna

1. Yellow Bird of Paradise (Botenang)
2. Cassowary (Warabai)
3. Lory (Uyoi)
4. Ground Dove (Mmbaru)
5. Maleo (Kio)
6. King Cockatoo (Wayangkikui)
7. Yellow-crested Cockatoo (Karaibuha)
8. Turtle
9. Hawksbill Turtle (Kinyang)
10. White Cuscus (Koru)
11. Black Cuscus (Pimonau)
12. Red Cuscus (Nuparau)
13. Kangaroo (Saoya)

The people of Kampung Asai do not yet have a legal basis or specific regulations governing the recognition and protection of rights/managed areas protected by the community.