Bira environmental study could set precedent

By Hisar Sitanggang

JAKARTA (Antara): What would have become of the hundreds of little islands of the Seribu group, to Jakarta's north, had the case of the destruction of Bira Besar Island not come to public attention?

The concern that has been aired over the worsening environmental conditions in the Seribu islands could be an indication of a growing awareness regarding the importance a sound environment as Jakartans celebrate the 468th anniversary of their city.

The concerns over the fate of the Seribu islands deserve to be aired because, it seems, the majority of Indonesians are quite uneducated regarding the question of how to manage small islands.

"Actually, so far, we have been in the dark as to how to improve environmental conditions on small islands, so that we must learn from the (environmental) audit findings on Bira Besar Island," said State Minister for the Environment Sarwono Kusumaatmadja.

The minister apparently based his observation on the inclination of many Indonesians to take environmental matters lightly and to act only when the problem has reached a critical stage, as is the case with Bira. The environmental damage which has occurred on the 29-hectare island only came to the notice -- and criticism -- of various parties after it had come to President Soeharto's attention.

On Bira Besar Island a golf course and a number of structures were built before the required Environmental Impact Analysis had been completed. This, it would appear, reflects a certain careless attitude on the part of the island's management with regard to environmental matters.

As a consequence, environmental damage occurred, notably to the coral reefs around the island. Coral flourishes in sea water with temperatures of between 18 and 36 degrees Celsius in depths of 20 to 40 meters, but it grows at an average of only between 0.2 cm and 4 cm per year.

Actually, according to Lukman F. Mokoginto, who is the vice chairman of the National Association of Indonesian Consultants, there have been long-standing complaints about other environmental damage similar to that inflicted on the coral around Bira. It is only now, however, that the problem is being addressed, with a reassessment of the Bira Besar Environmental Impact Analysis.

"An environmental audit on Bira Besar Island is an absolute requirement," Jakarta Governor Surjadi Soedirdja said.

As a consequence the golf course development may eventually be approved by the Jakarta municipality's Environmental Impact Analysis Commission. Nevertheless, an independent audit will still be mandatory. The island's management, PT Pulau Seribu Paradise, will be required to appoint an independent consultant and to bear the costs of the study, said Sarwono.

The question is: are there any consultants in Indonesia who are able and qualified to do environmental audits? As instruments for preventing environmental damage, environmental impact analyses are at present not being executed with the desired degree of professionalism and often give the impression that they are merely complementary side shows of projects.

Sarwono says that his office has a list of environmental audit consultants whose credibility is assured and that their names could be recommended to the management of the Bira project.

"The environmental audit consultant which is to be used by the Bira Besar Island management must meet the fixed criteria. They must be open, possess a good frame of reference and possess qualified experts to do the job," said Minister Sarwono.

"The findings of the (government's) study and the amendments will merely serve as input for the conduct of the environmental audit," he said.

The Seribu Group

But how does the environment fare on the little islands that make up the Seribu group? Is it only Bira whose environment has been damaged?

The seas surrounding the Seribu archipelago occupy a surface area of about 110,000 hectares. The land surface of the 105 islands together is about 888,44 hectares and is inhabited by about 14,000 people. Six islands -- Pulau Air Kecil, Pulau Payung Kecil, Pulau Ubi Besar, Pulau Ubi Kecil, Pulau Dapur and Pulau Gosong Pabelokan -- have disappeared under the sea.

Of the 105 islands, 45, including Bira Besar and Pulau Cina, have been earmarked for tourism and recreation, while nine others have been designated for housing development. A major cause of environmental damage in the area is reportedly pilfering of the coral reefs to obtain construction materials, either for use in buildings, landfills and sea walls, or for sale. Other causes are sand quarrying along the shores and shallows, fishing using potassium, shallow ground water exploitation and illicit treasure hunting.

Another problem to which the authorities should give attention is unauthorized land sales to individuals, which could lead to violations of the existing land-use regulations. In January 1990, for example, the Jakarta city administration was forced to demolish buildings on Pulau Macan and in May 1991 similar measures had to be taken on Pulau Kudus. Unauthorized building has also taken place on some other islands.

National Park

The Seribu islands were designated a National Park by Decree of the Minister of Agriculture No. 736/X/1982. The park is divided into several of zones.

The innermost Central Zone is designated for the protection of the area's indigenous flora and fauna, including sea turtles which have their natural habitat around the islands Gosong Rengat, Peteloran Timur, Peteloran Barat, Penjaliran Timur and Penjaliran Barat.

The central zone also includes the coral reefs which grow around the islands Belanda and Kayu Angin Bira, as well as the mangrove forests on Penjaliran Timur and Penjaliran Barat. The central zone is closed to visitors, except for purposes of scientific research, for which a special permit is required.

A Protection Zone which extends around this area serves as a buffer to the central zone and includes areas with ecosystems which are open to limited use. A third zone, the Utilization Zone, surrounds this protection zone and is reserved for marine tourism development. A Supporting Zone, the outermost, is reserved for the development of natural resources and their traditional use by the local community. Human habitation is restricted to this area.

According to Minister Sarwono, it is possible that after Pulau Bira Besar, other islands in the group will be subjected to environmental assessments. "Islands that require (environmental) auditing will be audited," the minister said.

Minister Sarwono's remarks may be taken as a signal to property owners in the Seribu Islands that they should take environmental matters more seriously. Sarwono, conceded, however, that a lot of construction work had been done in the area before environmental impact analyses became a legal requirement for development. As a result, many existing structures are in fact in violation of the new regulations.

The capacity of the Seribu islands to support their population is becoming more and more limited. Between 1991 and 1995 the population of the islands grew by an average of 1.01 percent per year. During the same period the number of islands inhabited increased from 11 to 15.

"For the present, environmental problems in the Seribu islands will be tackled on a case-by-case basis, although it is true that they should be managed as a whole," said Jakarta Governor Surjadi Soedirdja.

The fact is that environmental conditions on practically all of the little islands in the Seribu group are in need of improvement and greater protection. The Bira environmental impact assessment should provide a good model to follow.