National park forests not free from looting

National park forests not free from looting

By Sutha Sastradhinata

DENPASAR, Bali (Antara): Hundreds of locals looted the forest
of the West Bali National Park, Jembrana district, some 120
kilometers west of here, triggering a strong reaction from many
Balinese, particularly environmentalists.

These locals who plundered the forest divided the land into
plots measuring an average of 5,000 m2 each, and then put up
stakes around their plots of land, an act that many fear will
damage the environment and disrupt the ecosystem in the national
park.

In response, Bali Governor Dewa Made Beratha this land grab
could never be justified, whatever the reasons might be, because
it violated the regulations and was harmful to conservation
efforts and the forest's ecosystem.

However, before the provincial administration takes any steps
to address the situation, it has called on those involved to pull
up their stakes and clear out of the national park.

"First, we would like to warn and persuade the locals to
return the land, and if this fails we will take harsh action," he
said.

He said that if persuasion was not fruitful, the provincial
administration would ask the Bali Police to take appropriate
measures as permitted by the law.

The parceling of land by locals in the national park, he said,
was the result of a misunderstanding of the social forest
program.

This program, which the Ministry of Forestry has implemented
in a number of forest areas in Bali, has standing requirements
and procedures participants must comply with.

Meanwhile, the deputy chairman of the Indonesian Military
faction at the Bali provincial legislative assembly, I Made Lanus
Wirawan, said his faction was coordinating with Bali Police chief
Brig. Gen. D Ardjana about dispatching a special committee to
West Bali.

A witness said the land parceling has taken place along
Gilimanuk road leading to Malaya, in the area from Klatakan up to
Sumber Sari.

The locals have intercropped such items as corns on their new
parcels of land. Meanwhile, a group of people from Gilimanuk came
to the office of West Bali National Park on Oct. 16 to enquire
whether they could make use of the forest area to grow crops.

Similar land looting also has occurred in Sumber Rejo, Sumber
Kelampok village, Buleleng regency, in North Bali. It took place
here in late July and involved an area of some 200 hectares,
which have been turned into plots of land used to grow crops.

The head of the West Bali National Park, Soedirun Darto
Soewarno, confirmed that part of the forest within the national
park had been divided up into plots of land by the locals. But he
reiterated that it was not allowed to grow seasonal plants in a
forest area.

"We have done our best to brief the locals involved in this
land looting," he said.

The national park center, he went on to say, has received a
report that there are at least three groups of locals involved in
seizing land in West Bali. The first group comprises 250 people,
the second 150 people and the third 200 people.

Therefore, he said, the national park wardens have intensified
patrols and removed the stakes planted by locals. "The patrols
will be conducted every hour," he promised.

Malaya subdistrict head I Wayan Sadnya made similar remarks.
He said land parceling in the forests of West Bali started as
early as Oct. 2, and that he and his subordinates had tried their
best to make the locals realize that forest clearing was against
the law.

Tourism industry

Undeniably, the attraction of Bali lies in its unique culture
and natural charm, two factors which have made Bali famous the
world over. It is therefore regretable that the promotion of the
tourist industry in Bali has to be done at the expense of the
environment.

The West Bali National Park in Jembrana is virtually barren.
Leafy trees have been felled. The pristine water which used to
flow in the rivers of Bali and formed part of the daily
activities of the Balinese is now contaminated.

Jalak Bali, the Bali Starling, a rare white bird with a small
crown on its head and a symbol of this province, is now on the
brink of extinction. Other animals unique to the island have
become extinct.

The land, the sea, the mountains, the valleys and vast
expanses of rice fields, formerly picturesque, have all been
damaged in one way or another. Unfortunately, this damage has
been brought about by the tourist industry.

In view of this alarming condition, 19 Balinese non-
governmental organizations concerned with the environment have
taken up this matter with the provincial legislative assembly.
These groups claim the construction of tourist facilities in Bali
has damaged the environment.

The chairman of the Center for Environmental Research at
Udayana University here, IPG Ardhana, said the development of
tourism in Bali has never been separated from other factors such
as forest areas, which are closely linked with a community's life
and at the same time are valuable for the development of the
tourist industry.

Well-conserved forest areas make good tourist destinations, he
said, adding that unfortunately the community, particularly those
in the tourist industry, had little understanding about this
matter, evidenced by the deterioration of the forests in Bali.

West Bali National Park is an example that damage to the
forest can occur at virtually any time. Forest damage worsens
when the locals living in the surrounding areas illegally fell
trees, as if in a race with tourist industry operators.

Deforestation, he said, has come about not only because there
is a limited number of national park wardens, but rather because
the locals have little understanding of the role and function of
a forest area. To make matters worse, he added, some people are
developing tourist activities in the national park.

Therefore, he went on, his office has urged security officials
to conduct raids on a routine basis to prevent illegal logging,
mete out heavy sentences for illegal logging and to stop issuing
licenses to investors planning to develop the national park as a
tourist area.

The community must be involved in the management of the
national park, and a special regional regulation should be drawn
up to regulate the use of the forest, he said. It is hoped that
in this way, some areas within the national park will be
restored.

The total forest area in Bali now measures some 131,000
hectares, or about 23.3 percent of the total territory of the
island.