which includes 13 districts in Bolaang Mongondow Regency of Sulawesi Utara Province and six districts of Gorontalo Province. BNWNP secures the two main water catchment areas of the region. The Dumoga river irrigates about 11,000 ha of rice fields in the Dumoga Valley. The Bone river is crucial for agricultural irrigation in Bone-Bolango Regency and a flood control for Gorontalo.

The major threats to the park come from wildlife poaching (for meat and eggs), illegal logging, shifting cultivations, mining (including gold), over-harvesting of non-timber products, and illegal land conversion and agricultural encroachment.

• The ‘Dewan Mitra’ began following a consultative meetings with more than 20 groups from the NGO community and government. Groups exchange data, current and future plans and activities, aims and approaches. Through this process, we were able to map out an action plan as a guiding vision for future activities. In April 2005, eight parties signed onto the MOU for the Dewan Mitra including PHKA, the Regency of Bolaang Mongondow and the Regency of Gorontalo and some local NGOs.
• Dewan Mitra runs seminars, workshops and trainings to strengthen the partnership, shares experiences with other organizations, encourages environmental law enforcement, assists policy making, and enhance locals’ capacity towards wildlife species conservation and management. Dewan Mitra facilitates local NGOs and BNWNP to regularly meet and share information.
• Dewan Mitra has full support from the local governments. BNWNP sees Dewan Mitra as an ultimate requirement to reach the massive conservation goals to save the wider Bogani Landscape and the wildlife within it. The governments of Bolaang Mongondow District, Bone Bolango Districts and Gorontalo Districts regularly came to meetings.
• Dewan Mitra embraces local NGOs including WCS, FK3IG, JAPESDA, Mutiara Hijau, PALS, Rimbawan, Jaringan Masyarakat Peduli BNWNP and KPA Bolmong Lestari. There is a hope that the membership will be expanded soon to universities.

• We hope to expand the activities of Dewan Mitra to include review and revisions of local government spatial and development plans to include conservation objectives and wise natural resource management decisions.
• We hope to assist to Dewan Mitra should start to plan and later establish an information technology system that interactively connects Dewan Mitra’s office, BNWNP and other stakeholders in a computing network.
• There is still a long journey to ensure the financial sustain ability of Dewan Mitra. WCS will continue to assist Dewan Mitra to write program proposals and seek external funding. A number of Dewan Mitra’s members are experienced on successful fund-raising. They are an asset and should play a key role to connect Dewan Mitra to funding agencies.