Kelompok Tani Hutan Ibayauw is a women-led forest farmer group based in Engros Village, Jayapura, Papua, dedicated to restoring and protecting their mangrove ecosystem - known locally as hutan perempuan or “women’s forest.” This community initiative is led by Petronela Merauje, affectionately known as Nela, who founded the group in 2011 after witnessing the devastating loss of mangrove forests in her village due to road construction.
Determined to heal the land and empower women, Nela began by gathering ten women from her community, most of them widows, to take part in replanting and conservation efforts. Over the years, the group has grown to include 20–30 active women volunteers, all working together to restore and protect their forest.
At the heart of their work is a community-run tree nursery, where the women raise mangrove seedlings before transplanting them to degraded coastal areas. Their efforts not only aim to restore the coastal ecosystem but also to reclaim the sacred and cultural value of hutan perempuan, which has historically provided food, medicine, and spiritual connection for Indigenous Papuan women.
