location: Bali

location: Bali

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In Bali, water temple priests guide a sustainable rice production system
- Subak is an ancient rice irrigation system developed in line with the Balinese philosophy of Tri Hita Karana, which holds that human well-being is maintained by balance between people, nature and the gods.
- Water distribution is controlled by a series of water temples and priests who schedule planting, harvesting and fallow cycles in consultation with farming communities.
- Water is a central tenet of the traditional Balinese religion, Agama Tirtha, but the tourism industry that’s the bedrock of Bali’s economy is putting intense pressure on this resource.

Bali’s rapid coastal erosion threatens island’s ecosystems & communities: Study
- A recent study revealed that Bali’s coastline shrank from 668.64 kilometers (415.47 miles) to 662.59 km (411.71 mi) between 2016 and 2021 due to human activities and wave circulation, at an average rate of -1.21 meters (3.97 feet) annually.
- The erosion, combined with rising sea levels, threatens the island’s ecosystems, infrastructure and communities, which are economically and culturally significant.
- Despite the erosion, there was a net land increase of 1.25 km2 (0.48 mi2) due to land reclamation and infrastructure development, though these efforts also posed environmental risks.
- The study highlights the need for integrated coastal management to balance environmental protection with the needs of coastal communities.

Iconic Indonesian raptor still threatened by habitat degradation, isolation
- The latest survey has showed an increase in population of the Javan hawk-eagle, an iconic bird of prey endemic to Indonesia, from the previous survey carried out in 2009.
- Still, the research also found habitat isolation is a growing concern, linked to the small size of forest patches as primary forest is lost due to human activity.
- The Javan hawk-eagle heavily relies on primary forests for breeding, particularly for the tall trees in which it builds its nests.
- The hawk-eagle is Indonesia’s national bird, and conservation efforts were meant to boost its population by 10% from a 2019 baseline; this hasn’t happened, according to the recent survey.

Bali rice experiment cuts greenhouse gas emissions and increases yields
- Rice paddies are responsible for 11% of the world’s methane emissions. There are more than 200 million rice farms in Asia.
- Working with local farmers, researchers in Bali, Indonesia, have discovered how to dramatically reduce the greenhouse gas emissions output of rice fields. Initial indications are showing a 70% reduction.
- The farming breakthrough also boosted the yield of crops and reduced the amount of pesticides flowing to coral reefs.

Indonesia eyes enrolling more ports in fight against illegal fishing
- Only four of Indonesia’s nearly 2,500 ports implement the Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA), an international treaty that targets illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing by denying access to vessels engaged in that practice.
- With neighboring Thailand having 26 ports that implement PSMA, the Indonesian government says it’s considering expanding coverage to more of its ports.
- The PSMA is part of a set of tools to improve fisheries transparency and traceability, which in turn would increase global trust in fish products coming from Indonesia, one of the world’s top producers of seafood.
- Indonesia’s estimated fish stock is 12 million metric tons, down almost 4% from 2017, while 53% of its fisheries management zones are considered “fully exploited,” up from 44% in 2017.

Indonesia’s mangrove revival hindered by conflicting policies
- Indonesia’s president showcased a new conservation area to G20 leaders as an example of the country’s efforts to combat climate change.
- The country aims to add 33 more sites next year and rehabilitate 600,000 hectares of mangroves by 2024.
- Only about one-third of the country’s mangroves are in good condition, and conflicting development policies stand in the way of future conservation efforts, according to the nation’s largest environmental group.

In Bali, snakefruit farmers hope agroforestry bears fruit as island reopens
- Sibetan village on the Indonesian island of Bali is renowned for its organic snakefruit, known locally as salak.
- But following each biannual harvest, farmers face plunging prices of the salak fruit due to oversupply.
- Salak farmer Made Surjani says visitors are welcome to view local agroforestry practices, but that Sibetan farmers see themselves as farmers first and foremost.

For more fish and healthier coral in Bali, focus on communities and connectivity: Study
- A new review highlights improvements that can be made to the conservation of Bali’s coral reefs, which face multiple local stressors alongside warming waters and coral bleaching.
- While there are more coral-focused conservation initiatives in Bali than elsewhere in Indonesia, not all of them are successful, the authors say, leaving much room for improvement, particularly regarding design and management of protected areas.
- The authors recommend a more coordinated approach to marine protected area management to create networks that effectively safeguard mobile species, like turtles, sharks, rays and other fish.
- The review warns that despite the successes of local initiatives, climate change remains the biggest threat to coral reefs in Bali and around the world.

With loss of forests, Bali villages find themselves vulnerable to disaster
- Bali’s Penyaringan village was hit by flash floods in September, which some have linked to the ongoing loss of its forest.
- While the village’s forest has been designated as a protected area, it’s still subject to encroachment by villagers for the planting of short-lived crops, a practice known locally as ngawen.
- To regulate the practice and regenerate the forest, the village formed a management body that restricts the extent and types of crops that villagers can grow and requires them to also plant trees.

Bali’s new highway project sparks concerns about agriculture and conservation areas
- Construction on Bali’s second major toll road, stretching from the island’s western tip to its urban center in the south, is set to begin this year.
- Environmental advocates say the project will obstruct water flows to dozens of irrigation sites across the island’s west.
- Some worry the project could impede conservation efforts in West Bali National Park.

In Bali, prominent official faces backlash over illegal pet gibbon
- A public official in Indonesia has handed over a baby gibbon to conservation authorities following an outcry over his illegal possession of the endangered animal.
- I Nyoman Giri Prasta, the head of Badung district on the island of Bali, said he was giving up the siamang so that it could be rehabilitated and released into the wilds of its native Sumatra.
- Conservation authorities in Bali say they have not yet considered taking legal action; under Indonesian law, the illegal possession of protected species, like siamangs, is punishable by up to five years in prison.
- Giri Prasta is the latest in a long list of public officials known to keep protected species as pets, with enforcement of the crime still weak, conservationists say.

In Bali, the pandemic unravels a hard-won campaign to save Benoa Bay
- In late August, officials in Bali ratified a new zoning plan, which critics say was passed without sufficient public review or participation.
- The new regulation allows for sand mining, expansion of Benoa Harbor, and development of Ngurah Rai International Airport.
- Plans to develop Benoa Bay have prompted years of protests, and a previous proposal was shelved in October 2019.
- The sea mining zone in the new plan is close to a proposed marine conservation nursery area for dolphins and whales.

Indonesia’s $300m geothermal play risks being undercut by cheap coal
- The Asian Development Bank has granted Indonesian power developer PT Geo Dipa Energi (GDE) a $300 million loan to expand two geothermal plants in Java.
- But the plants will be supplying the Java-Bali grid that is already 40% overcapacity,thanks to a glut of cheap power from coal-fired power plants.
- Clean-energy observers also say the expansion of the plants carries the risk of environmental damage, including land subsidence from groundwater extraction, and deforestation to build new wells.
- Indonesia plans to generate 23% of its electricity from renewable resources by 2025, but growth in renewables is far outstripped by existing and new coal-fired plants, 10 of which came online last year alone.

After a century of mistaken identity, a Balinese gecko gets its own name
- A group of researchers has described as a new species a gecko endemic to the Indonesian island of Bali.
- Cyrtodactylus jatnai was for nearly a century thought to be Cyrtodactylus fumosus, a species found almost a thousand miles away in Sulawesi Island.
- In their newly published paper, the researchers identify distinctive physical characteristics that make the Bali species unique in its own right.
- They named the species in honor of Bali-born ecologist Jatna Supriatna, hailed by Conservation International as “the conservation warrior of Indonesia.”

In race for a sustainable alternative to plastic, Indonesia bets on seaweed
- A local government initiative to revive seaweed farming off Bali comes amid growing interest in the crop’s promise to tackle environmental problems ranging from carbon emissions to plastic waste pollution.
- Cultivated at scale, seaweed can grow up to 60 times faster than land-based plants, making it an important carbon sink.
- Local startups are also exploring its potential to make bioplastic that is naturally degradable and even edible, for use in food packaging and other applications to replace plastic.
- For the new generation of seaweed farmers in Indonesia, the plant also offers revenue streams through ecotourism.

Deregulation bill hurts Indonesia’s fishers, coastal communities, experts say
- The administration of Indonesian President Joko Widodo has proposed a sweeping slate of deregulation to boost investment, affecting laws on fisheries, maritime affairs, and coastal and small island development.
- Experts have warned that some of the proposed revisions will hurt small-scale and traditional fishers, who account for much of the country’s fishing fleet.
- Coastal communities will also stand to lose out to developers under zoning changes proposed in the bill of amendments, observers warn.
- Activists have called for fishing and coastal communities to reject the bill, and for the government and parliament to halt deliberations to pass it into law.

In Bali, young people lead the fight as a plastic plague threatens paradise
- The lack of a centralized waste management system in Bali, as in much of Indonesia, has led to most trash being dumped on land, rivers, and in the sea.
- Indonesia is the world’s No. 2 contributor to the plastic waste in the oceans, behind only China.
- In Bali, the fight against plastic waste is being spearheaded by local organizations, communities and youth groups, who have already convinced the local government to ban single-use plastics.
- The groups are pushing for a greater role by the government, particularly to centralize the waste collection and processing system.

Bali mangrove bay is now a conservation zone, nixing reclamation plan
- Indonesia’s maritime ministry has designated Bali’s Benoa Bay a conservation zone for religious and cultural activities, and traditional and sustainable fisheries.
- The decision effectively kills a $2 billion plan to reclaim land in the mangrove-rich bay for a tourism development featuring hotels, restaurants, entertainment venues and a convention center.
- While opponents of the development project have welcomed the decree, they say it’s only the first step toward ensuring that the bay receives full and permanent legal protection against such development plans.

A pearl oyster farm in Bali aims to be a sustainable source of the jewel
- A pearl oyster farm on the northern coast of the Indonesian island of Bali is working to establish a sustainable source for the creatures that produce South Sea pearls, prized for their use in jewelry.
- But the industry’s fast growth has taken a toll on wild oyster populations, and there’s also been a decline in the quality of pearls.
- In response, Indonesia has launched a pearl oyster breeding initiative.
- Indonesia is the world’s largest producer of South Sea pearls, accounting for 43 percent of global supply.

In Indonesia, a court victory for Bali’s ban on single-use plastics
- Indonesia’s top court has rejected a challenge to a ban on single-use plastics on the island of Bali.
- The ban was proposed last December and was subsequently challenged by plastic-recycling industry, which argued it would harm the livelihoods of manufacturers, recyclers, and trash pickers.
- The ruling potentially paves the way for other local governments around Indonesia to impose their own bans on plastic.
- The country is the number two source of the plastic waste that ends up in the oceans, behind only China, and has set itself the target of reducing that waste output by 70 percent by 2025.

No environmental permit for Bali bay reclamation plan amid opposition
- The Indonesian government says it won’t issue a key permit for a plan to build artificial islands in Bali’s Benoa Bay as long as locals remain strongly opposed to the project.
- The plan is to build artificial islands for a multibillion-dollar complex featuring hotels, restaurants, entertainment venues and a convention center.
- The project appeared to die last August when another permit, the location permit, expired without the government renewing it. The fisheries ministry later issued a new location permit.
- With the developer now seeking to obtain an environmental permit, local communities are gearing up for another fight against a project they say could damage the mangrove-rich area on which their livelihoods depend.

Indonesia trains its citizens to deal with sea-mammal strandings
- The waters around Indonesia serve as both a habitat and an important migratory route for dozens of species of whales, dolphins and porpoises.
- These cetaceans, however, are often found dead on Indonesian beaches, or alive but unable to return to deeper waters themselves.
- To prevent the deaths of marine mammals that strand themselves on its shores, the government has sought to establish a network of first responders equipped with the knowledge and training to deal with problem.
- Experts say what’s more important than providing an adequate response is to reduce the threats that lead to the strandings, including by improving the management of marine habitats and tackling pollution in the sea.

In ‘Sexy Killers,’ journos probe Indonesian candidates’ ties to Big Coal
- A documentary film was recently published online showing the links between Indonesian coal and energy companies and the country’s political elites.
- The release came ahead of Indonesia’s presidential election on April 17 where more than 190 million people are set to vote.
- The documentary has been received more than 6.5 million views on YouTube within two days after its public release.

In Bali, a village hews to unwritten rules to manage its forest
- Pengotan is a village of around 3,800 on the southern side of Bali’s Mount Batur.
- Walk into a house here in Pengotan and chances are someone will be weaving bamboo to be used in offerings.
- Much of the law of the land is informed by customary tradition, the perarem, handed down from previous generations.

Illegal online sales driving mercury pollution crisis in Indonesia
- Illegal online mercury sales are booming in Indonesia.
- Use of the toxic metal was banned in 2014, but it remains popular among small-time miners, for whom it’s become increasingly easy to procure online.
- It’s a quick and dirty process that constitutes the livelihoods of some 1 million people spread across the country. But prolonged exposure to mercury can have severe health consequences.

A development project in a Bali mangrove bay gets a new lease on life
- A controversial plan to reclaim land in Bali’s Benoa Bay for a commercial and entertainment development project was thought to have ended in August when its permit expired.
- In late November, Indonesia’s maritime ministry issued the developer a new permit that effectively revives the plan.
- Reclamation can only proceed, however, if the developer can obtain approval for its environmental impact assessment from the environment ministry. Its failure to do so earlier this year was what led to its initial permit expiring.
- Activists say they will continue to oppose the project, which they fear will destroy the mangrove-rich ecosystem and harm the livelihoods of thousands of local fishermen.

Indonesia leans on businesses to do more about plastic waste
- The Indonesian government will issue a policy this year requiring producers and retailers to take greater responsibility for the waste generated by their products.
- Under the extended producer responsibility (EPR) policy, producers will have to boost the percentage of recyclable content in their products and packaging, as well as provide post-retail recycling solutions.
- The country is the second-biggest contributor, after China, to the plastic trash crisis in the ocean.

$10bn pledged in new commitments to protect the world’s oceans
- Representatives of governments, the private sector, civil society groups and philanthropic organizations have pledged billions of dollars to protect vast swaths of the world’s oceans.
- The impacts of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and climate change on the world’s oceans were a focus of recently concluded Our Ocean Conference in Bali, Indonesia.
- Cooperation between governments is needed to prevent the world’s oceans from experiencing devastating damage from an onslaught of factors led by climate change.

Indonesia, a top plastic polluter, mobilizes 20,000 citizens to clean up the mess
- On a Sunday last August, thousands of Indonesians gathered at 76 locations across the Southeast Asian country to participate in a massive cleanup of plastic trash.
- Government officials and NGO activists hoped the event would raise awareness about plastic pollution, especially among the youth.
- Indonesia is the world’s second-largest plastic polluter, with 10 billion plastic bags in the country alone dumped into the environment each year.

As Bali reclamation project dies, activists seek conservation status
- Activists in Bali have welcomed the automatic cancellation of a permit for a reclamation project in the Indonesian resort island’s Benoa Bay.
- The permit expired after the developer failed to secure government approval for its environmental impact assessment for the project.
- The planned development would have cleared large areas of the bay’s mangrove ecosystem for new artificial islands to host a convention center, hotels, restaurants and entertainment venues.
- The activists have called on the government to restore the bay’s status as a strictly protected area for future conservation.

On an island in the sun, coal power is king over abundant solar
- Locals and environmentalists have opposed a plan to expand a coal-fired power plan in northern Bali, Indonesia.
- They are worried that the expansion will exacerbate the existing impact of the plant on the environment and locals’ health and livelihoods.
- A particular concern focuses on the survival of dolphins and endemic species living in close proximity to the plant, with Greenpeace saying the dolphins have particularly been affected since the plant came on line in 2015.
- Another major worry is air pollution, with many locals complaining of respiratory ailments as a result of the fumes and coal dust emitted from the plant.

Report blames coal-fired plant in Bali for pollution, loss of livelihoods
- A coal-fired power plant in Celukan Bawang village in Bali, Indonesia, was completed in 2015 to provide up to two-fifth of the resort island’s electricity and help jump-start the local economy.
- An investigation by advocacy group Greenpeace has since revealed persistent opposition to the project by residents, who have voiced concerns over health and environmental issues, as well as land compensation.
- In its report, Greenpeace calls on the district, provincial and national governments to regularly monitor the changes in the area and focus on development based on renewable energy sources.
- The district environmental agency says its own tests show that air and water quality in the area remain within safe limits. It says it has required the plant operator to submit an environmental report every six months.

Unified land-use map for Indonesia nears launch, but concerns over access remain
- A unified database integrating all of the land-use maps currently in use in Indonesia is set for an earlier-than-expected launch this August, as the government scrambles to collate outstanding data from various agencies and regions.
- The one-map policy is seen as key to resolving a host of development and planning problems caused by overlapping and often contradictory maps wielded by different agencies, including the issue of plantations being permitted inside forest areas.
- The government, however, says access to the database will be restricted, and is drafting regulations that will govern who gets to see it.

In Bali fish die-offs, researchers spot a human hand
- Mass fish die-offs are not uncommon in the volcanic lakes that dot Indonesia, including Bali’s Lake Batur, which sits in the crater of an active volcano.
- While sulfur releases, steep temperature gradients and other natural phenomena are responsible for some of the bigger die-offs, researchers have identified the chemicals from excess fish feed as the main culprit for the more frequent die-offs caused by oxygen depletion.
- Similar die-offs in other lakes around Indonesia have also been traced back to household and industrial waste, as well as agricultural runoff and fish farms. Researchers have warned that more than a dozen lakes could die out as soon as 2025 as a result of this chemical assault.

Plastic not so fantastic for Bali’s iconic manta rays
- Two recent videos from a diving site in Bali known for its manta rays have garnered global attention for highlighting the dire state of plastic pollution in Indonesia’s waters.
- While the local government and volunteers have made efforts to clean up the garbage, a lack of proper planning and poor awareness of waste disposal means huge volumes of trash continue to be dumped into the ocean daily.
- Indonesia produces around 130,000 tons of plastic and solid waste every day, and is the second-largest plastic polluter in the world, behind China.

Climate scientists see silver lining in Bali volcano’s ash cloud
- Scientists are monitoring the emission of sulfur dioxide from the ongoing eruption of Indonesia’s Mount Agung to better understand the climate-cooling effects of the particulate’s dispersal in the stratosphere.
- They hope that by artificially recreating the phenomenon, they can block the amount of sunlight reaching the Earth’s surface, and thereby “geoengineer” a cooler climate.
- However, progress in geoengineering is tempered by worries that the prospect of an easy solution could leave policymakers even more reluctant to make meaningful efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

Plastic Fantastic? Indonesia plans to turn waste into road tar
- After laying a 700-meter plastic-tar road at a university campus in Bali, Indonesian officials announced plans to use the material on roads in Jakarta and other cities.
- So-called plastic roads, which incorporate melted plastic into road tar, are promoted as a novel waste-disposal method that also produces cheaper and more durable roads than conventional materials.
- Some environmentalists are concerned about the potential for plastic roads to leach hazardous chemicals and shed micro-plastics into the ecosystem.

Balinese rituals fuel spike in trafficking of endangered sea turtles
- Indonesia is home to six of the world’s seven sea turtle species. International rules prevent any of them from being traded internationally, and the domestic trade is heavily controlled.
- After Bali’s high priests issued a strict regulation in 2005 on the use of turtles in ceremonies, consumption of their meat dropped dramatically.
- But a recent series of busts seem to indicate a significant surge in turtle smuggling to the island.
- For now, Indonesian authorities’ main strategy appears to be education.

Indonesian fisheries czar promises to end subsidized fuel scam
- On an inspection in Bali this week, fisheries minister Susi Pudjiastuti discovered that a number of boats had had their sizes marked down in order to receive subsidized fuel meant for smaller boats.
- Pudjiastuti responded with a threat to limit the fuel subsidy to boats under five gross tons, down from 30 now.
- Before Pudjiastuti was appointed minister, boats over 30 gross tons could receive the cheaper fuel.

World’s most expensive coffee often produced from caged, abused civets, study finds
- Kopi luwak or civet coffee is made from partially digested coffee beans excreted by a shy, forest-dwelling, cat-like animal called the common palm civet.
- The rising popularity of kopi luwak has meant that civets are increasingly being removed from the wild and held in captivity on kopi luwak plantations to mass produce civet coffee.
- Caged civets on these plantations, however, tend to live in very poor conditions that fail to meet the basic animal welfare requirements, according to a new study.

Bali’s mountain dwellers govern with ancient palm leaf treatises
- Residents of Tenganan in the hills of eastern Bali produced forestry regulations that predate the 11th century. The village still adheres to them.
- The local Aga people are trying to negotiate a balance between maintaining the environment and accommodating foreign tourists.
- According to a local regulation on collective ownership, individuals within the village can neither draw up deeds for local land nor transfer parcels to people outside the community.

Can a wild fishery be bred? Indonesia’s plan to restock its oceans

Abdul “Bolong” Hanan had a baby turtle in one hand and a toothbrush in the other. He scrubbed the squirming two-month-old vigorously before plopping it back into one of the shaded tile pools at his self-designated turtle sanctuary on the southeast end of Gili Meno island off Lombok, Indonesia. Too much algae on a baby […]
Lack of stock data and incentives to collect it stymie Indonesian tuna fisheries on path to sustainability

7:00 am; Labuhan Lombok, Indonesia. It’s offloading time on the 30-foot-long M/V Nusa Indah 2. Crewmen pop the lid off the hold and pull yellowfin tuna from the icy pool below. The silver-skinned behemoths weigh 150 pounds apiece, and it takes three men to move one fish across the boat deck to a waiting factory […]
Americans join in protesting reclamation of Bali’s Benoa Bay

Protesters voice their opposition to the Benoa Bay reclamation project in Washington D.C. Photo: Ika Inggas Americans and Indonesians demonstrated together in Washington D.C. last week in protest of a massive land reclamation project planned for Bali’s Benoa Bay, to which opposition, activists say, is coming from increasingly international circles. Meanwhile, the governor of East […]
Of Prawns and Men on the Bali Strait

This article first appeared in The Seashore Issue of the culinary magazine Lucky Peach. The piece was funded under the Mongabay Special Reporting Initiative program. Why is shrimp so cheap? (Answer: it’s not.) Wednesday’s special ebi nigiri at Sushi Ichiban; chạo sôm (grilled prawns on sugarcane skewers) as a prelude to pho; frozen blocks of […]
Bali uprising: Plan to convert protected area into golf courses, mall spurs outrage

Protesters in Bali in June 2014. Photo by Anton Muhajir. In a reversal sparking outrage from locals, and concern from environmentalists, the Governor of Bali, Indonesia has given the green light to a controversial development project in Benoa Bay. The plan would convert 700 acres of theoretically protected mangrove and ocean front into a tourist […]

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