Catur villagers, supporters of forest conservation

W. Sumadi, Contributor, Bangli, Bali

Last week, a number of residents of the Desa Adat Catur customary village walked barefooted into the misty forest near the famed Kintamani resort in Bangly regency, some 70 kilometers north of the Bali provincial capital of Denpasar.

It was business as usual for the villagers. They were planting trees on a barren plot of land within the forest as part of a forest conservation project.

The villagers were divided into groups of five, with each group assigned to different areas requiring replanting.

"The idea of regreening the forest came about two years ago, and at the time it was not really feasible for the majority of the local community, who used to depend on the tourist industry," explained Nyoman Suetha, head of the customary village.

Catur village is rarely mentioned in Bali travel guides. It is not a popular tourist destination for those traveling to the island for the sand and surf. Instead of beaches the village has lush forests.

Located 1,140 meters above sea level near the famous Batur Volcano and Batur Lake, the village is not a normal stop on the tourist trail.

What makes the village so important to Bali is its crucial role in preserving and conserving the regency's forests and water catchment areas, badly needed to sustain the environment.

At first, it was indeed difficult to make locals understand the importance of preserving and conserving the forest. Bangli's panoramic views, with its grand Batur Volcano and amazing Batur Lake, attracted millions of visitors to the area. Lured by the glittering tourist industry, a lot of villagers left their land to work in tourism-related businesses. Some of them became handicraft and fruit sellers at some of Bangli's tourist sites, including Penelokan in Kintamani.

Bangli Regent I Nengah Arnawa has often been heard urging residents to go back to being farmers.

"Almost the entire province of Bali has become over-dependent on the tourist industry. Agriculture and forestry have been long forgotten and neglected by our own people," declared Arnawa.

The regent says Bali must maintain and develop its agricultural and forestry sectors, which he says have a great deal of potential.

"It is so urgent to develop our agricultural sector and to preserve our forests as important water catchment areas. Otherwise, we will lose everything -- our farming system and our forests, as well as tourism," noted Arnawa.

Bangli regency has 9,314 hectares of forested area, or 17 percent of the total regency. About 60 percent of the forested area has been declared protected, 20 percent is set aside for the tourist industry and the remaining 20 percent is industrial and productive land.

Bangli is renowned for having some of the best coffee plantations in Bali, as well as growing clovers and myriad other forest products. The regency also is famous for its abundant orange plantations.

Ketut Sutrisna, head of Bangli's Agriculture, Plantations and Forestry Agency, said the regency planned to increase its forested area to at least 30 percent of the total area of Bangli.

"The largest forested area in Bangli is Bintang Danu, which covers around 6,000 hectares. But a few years ago, the area was reduced to only 3,000 hectares, which really worried and frightened us," Sutrisna said.

In general, forests in Bali cover only 23 percent of the total area, with the biggest forest in Jembrana, West Bali, covering a total of 42,156 hectares. The island's forests have deteriorated over the last few years, with development projects usually being given preference to trees.