Island golf

Island golf

An advertisement you ran a couple of weeks ago for a cruise ship offering island golf jogged my memory about Bira Island, one of the Thousand Islands north of Jakarta. In May or June last year the media questioned the legality of a proposed golf course on this island, which lies in a protected nature reserve. At that time, the necessary permits were not in place and the outcome of the environmental impact study was pending. As far as I know, since then everything has gone quiet. Perhaps the Post would run a follow-up on the conclusion to the study.

It will be interesting to see the results of this study, particularly with respect to possible long term effects on the environment of by nutrients and chemicals used to maintain the greens affecting the coral that forms the island and hence into the surrounding seawater.

NICK FENTON

Jakarta