Eco-lodge promotes environmental preservation

Eco-lodge promotes environmental preservation

Rita A.Widiadana, The Jakarta Post, Jimbaran

A few years ago, no one would have chosen to live, let alone
study, and do business on the barren cliff of Bukit Jimbaran, 20
kilometers to the south of Denpasar, where access to water, food
sources and electricity was very limited.

However, with visionary management Udayana University selected
this as the location for its main campus building to ease the
heavy burden on its crowded campus in downtown Denpasar.

In 1996, most staff and students of the university were
against the development of the new campus building because of the
long distance and were only willing to stay in Denpasar.

Udayana eco-lodge was established on a 35 hectare plot of dry
land with the help of the Indonesian Rural Agricultural
Development Foundation (INI RADEF). The development was made
possible under a 15-year agreement between the foundation and the
university's management.

During this period Udayana Lodge, with the assistance of INI
RADEF, continued to repay the investor on an annual basis (around
A$60,000), so the university would have a very valuable
investment by 2011. The university will not have contributed any
funding during the 15-year period.

The lodge was designed and built by Meryl Wilson and was
opened in l996. Initially, the Lodge management collaborated
closely with the University of Western Sydney to create
environmentally sound working parameters.

Dr. Alan Wilson, chairman of the foundation, said the main
objective of the eco-lodge development was to prove that
preserving the environment was very crucial in any activity.

"We found that the 35-hectare site was ecologically
sustainable. We have documented the 50 protected species of
birds, 60 rare butterfly species, reptiles and other flora and
fauna," he said.

The foundation, he said, was working closely with the
university and had been training its lecturers, students and the
lodge's staff to build rainwater storage facilities, sewage
recycling, solar energy utilization, a sound rubbish disposal
system and the use of a worm-composting unit for garden
clippings, leaves and biodegradable waste from the kitchen.

Established in November 1994, the foundation has a mandate to
promote links between Indonesia and overseas countries including
Australia, in the fields of agribusiness, education,
environmental protection, small-scale business enterprises, NGO
development, eco-tourism and sports.

"We are focusing on community-based projects that involve as
many people as possible," he said. Udayana eco-lodge, he added,
had become the foundation's flagship of endeavors in protecting
Bali's environment. "This is a very beautiful island that is now
facing serious environmental threats due to misdevelopment and
unawareness," Wilson continued.

Located up on the rocky hill, the lodge consists of a number
of rooms, meeting rooms and research centers designed in an
environmentally friendly tropical architectural style. "Our aim
is mainly to show wise and good water management and forest
protection in a very dry tropical area," Meryl Wilson added. Over
the years, the lodge has developed an international reputation as
a place that offers a peaceful and tranquil atmosphere that
provides eco-friendly lodgings for people from around the world.

"Guests, scientists and students from at least 46 countries
have stayed at this facility," she said.

Udayana eco-lodge has been successfully benchmarked by Green
Globe 21 between 2002 and 2005 and is now ready for international
eco accreditation. "We have fulfilled all the necessary
requirements for energy use, rubbish disposal, commitment to the
local community and environmentally friendly management
techniques to achieve "best practice," she maintained.

In addition to Bali, the foundation has now developed two more
eco-lodges in Labuan Bajo, Flores and Kumai, Central Kalimantan,
based on the above six principles and is planning to develop a
third in South Sulawesi to protect around 7,000 hectares of
forest and 15 kilometers of coral reefs.

INI RADEF also manages an eco-friendly lodge in Bogor, West
Java, the Crawford Lodge.

The foundation is due to hand over the Udayana eco-lodge to
the university in July 2011. "It is our desire to continue to
play a role in the conservation of the area through working hand
in hand in the future with Udayana University, which will, with
our help, continue to offer an eco-accommodation facility to
visitors from all over Indonesia and the world," Wilson said.

In addition, the foundation will also work with the
university's School of Biological Science and School of
Agriculture.
Thus, after July 2011, INI RADEF and Udayana University will
jointly develop Udayana Lodge as a study center for environmental
studies, and a center for biological, agribusiness, tourism and
community development research.

Udayana Lodge has become a center of education promoting the
university in the fields of environmental protection, biological
science, agribusiness and small business development. It is hoped
that Udayana Lodge will continue to play a dynamic role in the
struggle to protect and conserve the natural environment of
Indonesia through suitable education programs.

"Bali has abundant natural resources, beaches and forests that
must be protected. The island's beaches have been heavily
polluted by waste from tourist-related industries as well as
domestic waste," Wilson said.

Any university in Indonesia has the potential to play a larger
part in preserving the environment, to empower the community and
to become an important agent of change.

"Udayana eco-lodge is just one example of how a university can
work together with an international agency and the local
community to develop small-scale, eco-friendly accommodation as
well as preserve the environment," Wilson said.

Udayana eco-lodge can be reached at www.ecolodgesindonesia.com.
It includes Bajo Komodo eco-lodge in Flores, The Rimba Orangutan
eco-lodge in Central Kalimantan and Crawford Lodge in Bogor, West
Java.