Catur villagers, supporters of forest conservation

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.