Future of Bali’s \'Blue Paradise\' at Stake

Kompas/Ferganata Indra Riatmoko

A diver experiences strong waves while swimming in the Toyopakeh diving site off Penida Nusa, Bali, on Tuesday (24/10).

Conservation activities have been stopped for more than 10 months in Nusa Penida, Klungkung regency, Bali. Patrolmen no longer stop fishermen hunting for sharks and manta rays. There is also no more rehabilitation of coral reefs and efforts to control the activities of barges, which have destroyed coral and marine sites. The future of "Blue Paradise" in southeast Bali is under threat.

Various activities to manage and protect the three islands of Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan have been halted due to the transfer of administrative authority of the area from Klungkung regency administration to the provincial administration of Bali. The transfer was made as the part of the implementation of Law No. 23/2014 on regional governance.

The management and supervision of the Aquatic Conservation Area (KKP) of Nusa Penida, Klungkung, have been taken over by the Bali government.

"The takeover of the Nusa Penida to the provincial administration should have been completed by October this year. However, until now the island has not been officially transferred. That is why we cannot work because of fear of violating the regulation," the head of technical operational unit (UPT) of KKP Nusa Penida, I Nyoman Karyawan, said Tuesday.

In fact, according to the Regional Governance Law, the transition period should be no more than two years. It means that all bureaucratic issues concerning the island should have been completed by October 2017.

The zoning  of KKP Nusa Penida cannot be implemented because it is based on a regency regulation, not a provincial administration one.

In addition, Karyawan said, the zoning  of KKP Nusa Penida cannot be implemented because it is based on a regency regulation, not a provincial administration one. That’s why the zoning regulation cannot be used as a legal basis for processing zoning violations.

Nusa Penida Island, which is referred to as Blue Paradise or Blue Heaven, is a diving destination.  It is the only location in Indonesia where the giant mola-mola fish or sunfish can be seen in great numbers during their annual migration,  which usually takes places in July and August.

This is because ​​Nusa Penida waters are part of the Sunda Banda Sea, which is also part of the Coral Triangle, the world\'s largest marine biodiversity area.

In 2014, the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry named the waters of Nusa Penida an aquatic conservation area (KKP) through Ministerial Decree No. 24/2014. The goal is to maintain sustainable fisheries and marine biodiversity protection.

The Nusa Penida conservation area measures 20,057 hectares and has 1,419 hectares of coral reefs comprising 296 species of coral as well as 576 species of fish. The area is also a habitat for mantas, turtles, sharks, whales, dolphins, dugongs, green turtles, hawksbill turtles and mola-mola.

They use fishing equipment such as trawl nets, compressors and explosives.

The field officer of the Coral Triangle Center (CTC) in Nusa Penida, I Komang Budiarta, said that since 2010, Nusa Penida  had become an  important destination for domestic and foreign tourists. Since then,  many tourism service providers have also established marine tourism activities in the area. At one dive site, such as at Crystal Bay,  dozens of ships are available to carry groups of divers.

"On the other hand, many fishermen fish in the waters of Nusa Penida. They use fishing equipment such as trawl nets, compressors and explosives. But with its status as a KKP area, it is well protected," he said.

Damaged

However, with the vacuum in government control, coral reefs have been damaged. For example, damage has been caused by concrete weights that are used to keep pontoon ropes taunt as they are moved by the current. Sea walk infrastructure has also been mounted on reefs and irresponsible divers have etched Latin and Mandarin script on coral.

Karyawan said that the CTF could no longer monitor and prosecute perpetrators of destruction. It can now only submit reports and complaints to the provincial administration.

"This year, we didn\'t receive a budget allocation for operational funds and conservation activities. The regency administration only allocated funds for KKP officers," he said.

For Bali, Nusa Penida is one of 10 KKP networks covering over 50,000 hectares.

Klungkung Regent I Nyoman Suwirta did not expect the vacuum in authority to cause a problem. "Actually, if the personnel deployment, infrastructure, financing, and documents (P3D) have not been settled, we can still handle it," he said.

To that end, the Klungkung government will seek affirmation on its position in environmental conservation activities in the midst of the vacuum in authority from the Bali Maritime and Fisheries Agency.

Separately, the head of the Bali maritime and fisheries service, I Made Gunaja said, the Bali government was reviewing the preparation of the zoning plan for coastal areas and small islands (RZWP3K) as part of the implementation of Law No. 23/2014.

On the other hand, the handover of the KKP management related to the P3D is constrained by the absence of a regulation issued by the head of the state personnel agency.

For Bali, Nusa Penida is one of 10 KKP networks covering over 50,000 hectares. This marine conservation area, along with other waters in Bali, has been included in the map of conservation plans for coastal areas and small islands.

Prolonged bureaucratic and administrative problems should not cause a setback in the management of KKP Nusa Penida or lead to damage in the conservation area. In addition, Indonesia should ensure that it can keep its promise to  the world to provide a total of 20 million marine waters as conservation areas by 2020.