That is not to say that Bali is perfect: far from it. Most of the population seem to be squished into the eastern side of the island especially around the southern corner, and the traffic can be horrendous. And personally I dislike the way Kuta Beach has become the type of mass-market, over-developed resort area you can find anywhere.

The island’s ills were succinctly summarised by Dr. Anak Agung Gde Agung, a former Minister of Societal Affairs, writing in The Jakarta Post and quoted in this week’s Bali Update “Bali at the crossroads”.

“The erosion of Bali’s, tradition, culture and natural environment as a result of massive efforts to boost tourist numbers has occurred in a number of ways. The most visible is the overload in infrastructure and overuse of precious natural resources. Roads have become cramped with cars at all hours of night and day, while farmlands have disappeared at a rate of around 1000 hectares per year to make way for hotels, villas and malls.

All of Bali’s 37 beaches and eight rivers have undergone serious transformations from their original states through development activities that have illegally violated building codes. Water levels at various points are so low they risk drying up altogether, inviting sea water to seep in. This problem and many more like it were foregone conclusions when the number of hotel rooms, set by French tourist company Sceto at a maximum 22.000 for Bali, exceeded the 70.000 mark…..

The more fatal effect of this overload of tourists lies in the impact it has culturally. As farmlands are converted into tourist infrastructure, alienation not only occurs with the land but also to the temples, rituals, ceremonies and communal life – the essential lifestyle of the people who used to live on that land. The Balinese way of life, culture and tradition has been displaced in the blink of an eye.”

Fortunately there have been signs recently that the local administration recognises the need to preserve the island’s cultural heritage and Dr Agung sets out a way forward:

“First, it [the Administration] should aim to preserve and enhance the special cultures, traditions and natural environment of Bali through multifaceted defensive and motivational policies.

Next, it should bring in the right type of tourists who can appreciate the culture and natural environment of the island……This will prevent Bali from becoming everything for everybody and eventually nothing for nobody.

Finally, Bali’s key philosophy on life, the Tri Hita Karana, should be strengthened. The premise of the philosophy teaches that man in his every action should always heed his impact on the three main surroundings – his fellow being, his natural environment and his god or morality. In meeting his needs, man should balance them in such a way that the needs of those around him are not impaired.”

For me that is another way of saying responsible or sustainable tourism and I agree wholeheartedly with this strategy. I cannot see how Bali can do anything else if it is to ensure its survival as a sought-after tourist destination and even perhaps, ultimately, as an entity.

In my opinion Bali is far from being a lost cause and still has many wonderful aspects but now is surely the time for the island to make its mark as a beacon for sustainable tourism.

An existing example of sustainable tourism in Bali can be found on the Bali Discovery web site Bali Eco Adventure: Sustainable Tourism in Bali’s Highlands. Bali Eco Adventure have established a model of sustainable tourism “which seeks to minimize any negative impacts on the environment and local community, rewarding the endemic population for their careful stewardship of nature and cultural traditions.”

Bali is such a magical place I think here is huge scope for doing more along these lines. What do you think? Is Bali a lost cause, a cause worth fighting for or fine as it is?

This is causing consternation in West Flores, the natural home of this prehistoric creature and I can understand why: it is the islands’ key tourist draw card. I am wondering whether there might be a better solution: balancing conservation with the needs of the local population. Surely there is scope here for a sustainable tourism project.

Read Komodo Dragons as Stay-at-Home Celebrities

As I mentioned in The Haze Threat Returns To South East Asia last month the problem is mostly caused by the slash-and-burn preparation of land in Sumatra and Kalimantan. At least it is good to read that Indonesia is cooperating with Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam to protect Kalimantan (Borneo) through their ‘Heart of Borneo (HOB)‘ programme.

Read Air quality deteriorates over Malaysia

According to The Straits Times, in a televised address to the nation over the weekend, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said: ‘Those who carried out this attack and those who planned it will be arrested and tried according to the law.’ Calling the twin bombings an ‘act of terrorism’, Mr Yudhoyono said the attackers ‘have no humanity and they don’t care about the damage done to our country with this act of terrorism which will have wide effects on our economy, trade, tourism and image in the eyes of the world.’

No matter where we live nor where we travel to it is a sad fact that in today’s world a terrorist attack is possible at any time. It is a horrible thought but for our own sanity it is one we cannot dwell upon.

I choose to travel with optimism and a belief that all people are fundamentally good. That is the world I wish to live in and I am sure there are millions of others who think the same.

In my opinion, thanks to a determination by many of us to continue travelling and thanks too to a diverse yet broadly united population, the Indonesian tourism industry can and will survive.

For now though my thoughts are with those who suffered in this recent atrocity and my heart goes out to their friends and families. I hope they soon find a kind of peace.

Image: TeeJe via Flickr

Kuala Lumpur by Phalinn

The skies over Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, and other places around the region, are once again in danger of being enveloped by “The Haze” said to be caused principally by slash-and-burn agriculture production on the Indonesian islands of Sumatra and Kalimantan.

It was in October 1997 that I first became aware of The Haze. Although slash-and-burn agriculture has been practised for millennia, it was in that year the Haze caused extensive problems for the region. It significantly affected the tourism industry, the health of the population and the environment. The total economic loss was estimated to be US $9 billion.

Apparently, the cyclical weather phenomenon known as El Nino exacerbated normal atmospheric conditions such that the smoke from these slash-and-burn activities, and sporadic forest fires, spread in swathes across the region: it caused the air quality, measured by the Air Pollutant Index (API), in many places to reach dangerous levels.

In major cities like Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, just as with any city in the world, you expect to see levels of pollution caused by traffic, industry etc but during the Haze those levels shot up. I recall at one point in Kuching, East Malaysia the API was around 300.

As a result of the Haze in 1997 (which continued into 1998), Indonesia outlawed the clearing of land by fire but the government’s efforts in eradicating it so far appear to have had little effect. Indeed there have been further episodes of especially bad Haze (albeit not to the ’97/98 levels) in 2002, 2005, 2006 and there are signs that it is returning in 2009.

Haze Over Kuala Lumpur in 2005 (Wikipedia)

Only today I read that:

<< Malaysia has offered to help Indonesia curb forest fires as air quality fell in the country.

“We have special aeroplanes which can be used to carry out water bombing,” the Sunday Star quoted Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak as saying.

“It is up to the Indonesian government to accept it,” the premier told the newspaper, as he urged Malaysians to avoid open burning.

Malaysian environment authorities said air quality and visibility in parts of the country over the past week fell from “good” to “moderate.”>>

The report goes on:

<<Environment ministers from Singapore, Malaysia and other regional nations have urged Indonesia promptly to ratify a regional treaty aimed at preventing cross-border haze pollution.

Malaysia said last year that it will help Indonesian farmers practise safer farming methods, to help curb the forest fires, by sending experts to the fire-prone Riau region on Indonesia’s Sumatra island.>>

With all the other issues affecting the region from the Global Financial Crisis to Swine Flu, as far as tourism is concerned this is the last thing the region needs right now. Perhaps more important though is the threat to the health of the local residents and to the environment. I just hope that the Indonesian government, together with its neighbours, finds a speedy solution to the problem for everyone’s sake.

Sumatran Tropical Rainforest by Wild Tiger

As I understand it, the slash-and-burn preparation of the land starts around June and lasts through until November with a peak in September and October. However there is no suggestion that the conditions this year will be anything like as severe as they were in ‘97/98, and personally I would not be dissuaded from visiting at that time.

Being a weather-related phenomenon the Haze is very unpredictable and all the visitor can do, especially if you have a respiratory condition, is to monitor the situation. Fortunately, the two countries which seem to suffer most from the Haze now publish daily API (PSI in Singapore) figures; and these can be viewed at Singapore’s National Environment Agency site and on Malaysia’s Department of Environment site.

It is of course bad enough for the tourist visiting these places when there is a Haze episode but what must it be like for the local residents? Have you been affected by The Haze in South East Asia?

Pura Tirta Empul, the Temple of the Holy Water, Bali

There are two great articles in this week’s Bali Discovery Bali Update which pick up on my theme of sustainable tourism.

The first piece, Bali: Choose Tradition Before Innovation, is a free translation of an article written by Professor Dr. Ir. Wayan Windia, M.S., a member of the agricultural faculty of Bali’s Udayana University, that first appeared in the Bali Post. Titled “Let’s Destroy Bali?”

In case you don’t have time to read it, in summary, he is arguing ironically that rather than trying to protect Balinese tradition why not save time by destroying the island now.

“In Bali, if our surviving principles needed to protect Bali’s culture and founded on idealism are changed only out of pragmatic considerations (to protect the interests of investors), then Bali is already sitting precariously on the precipice of its own destruction.

But, then again, if everyone’s in agreement, let’s all heave-ho and destroy Bali. Let’s not keep the investors and migrants waiting; just get it over with and demolish the island. In this way we can at least end the interminable debate about standing up for Bali.”

And then almost as if in support of this discourse, in the other article Tourism as Villain in Bali’s Environmental Degradation Bali Discovery reports that:

the Executive Director of the Environmental Watchdog Group WALHI, Agung Wardana, has blamed tourism as the main cause of Bali’s deteriorating environmental quality. Quoted in BisnisBali, Wardana said: “the most obvious problem is water. Water in Bali is chiefly consumed by tourism, creating a conflict between the tourism industry and the Balinese people.”

Clarifying his concerns, Wardana explained that each hotel room in Bali represents the consumption of 3,000 liters of water each day and each golf course demands three million liters of water a day. This contrasts sharply with the mere 200 liters of water a day used by the average Balinese.

Wardana added: “The current tourism policy must be re-evaluated. If the same system of growing tourism is allowed to continue, the impact will be widespread. Thus, we have to find a new development model.”

I suppose I am an idealist: my perception of Bali is of an artistic and gentle place where the locals lead a spiritual lifestyle. I think it’s great that planning regulations put a limit on the height of buildings and that the Governor of Bali wants to see an airport that emphasises Balinese architecture and which puts the community first. I do believe Balinese tradition should be protected. Yet I can argue too that tourism can bring benefits to more remote communities.

So is it possible to find a balance between the benefits of tourism and the pressures that it puts on both the infrastructure and the fabric of the host community? Is it inevitable that if we visit Bali, ultimately we destroy it? I shall keep my idealist’s hat on and say “Yes, it is possible to find a balance”; but what do you think?

Photo source: thebigdurian (Creative Commons)

Balinese Temple (From Wikipedia)

I was reading on a forum recently that Bali is great for its nightclub scene! There was an implication that you would go there for no other reason. Well anyone who really knows Bali would know that is very far from the truth.

Yes, there is a blott on the landscape, called Kuta, which is full of bars and clubs but that is it. Go anywhere else on the island and you will discover the essence of Bali. You can walk down any street (actually that includes Kuta) and find someone has left a small, scented offering on the pavement. This is just one obvious sign of Bali’s majority religion, Hinduism.

You will not need to walk down many more streets before you come across a religious festival: there is probably a festival happening almost every day of the year somewhere on the island. And if there isn’t a festival, there will like as not be a funeral.

Funerals are not as we in the west traditionally know them: they are very much a celebration of a life (something we are starting to emulate) and a public affair.

I have attended two funerals in Bali. The first was for a family member of a colleague and the second we happened upon during a sightseeing tour of the island. Yes, you cannot imagine gate-crashing a funeral at home but in Bali it is quite normal: on both occasions we were spontaneously invited to join the mourners. There were hundreds of people everywhere, all dressed in traditional garb, with flower garlands adorning the scene.

No matter what a person’s beliefs I feel certain that most anyone will be touched by the deep spirituality that seems to pervade the island and its people. A spirituality which manifests in the both the natural beauty of the landscape and in the artistry of many Balinese: their skill with wood, stone and canvas is legendary.

It came as no surprise to me then to read recently this piece in The Jakarta Post, “Bali urges revision of airport plan”. It starts:

“Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika has strongly refused the proposed extension design for Ngurah Rai International Airport, saying it focuses only on commercial sites and lacks the Balinese architectural style.” And goes on to say “Governor Pastika was against the company’s plan to build a shopping mall within the airport area” and emphasises the need for improved public services.

I find this typical of the way many Balinese think: they put tradition, Balinese style and community before all other considerations. There are some aberrations on the island but I think many Balinese would recognise these as mistakes. Unlike much of the rest of the world I believe the Balinese generally recognise their mistakes and learn from them. One of the fundamental truths of the Balinese belief system is balance: where there is imbalance there is discord. There must be a balance between the modern world and the traditional. And that is what makes Bali so special for me.

What is it about Bali that you find special?