The beauty of Nirvana in North Jepara which is being destroyed by shrimp ponds

Shrimp farming activities are considered to be eroding the beauty of the Karimunjawa Islands as a tourist destination.

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Tourists enjoy the twilight atmosphere at Alang-alang Beach, Karimunjawa District, Jepara, Central Java, Tuesday (16/4/2024).

The Karimunjawa Islands in the northern part of Jepara Regency, Central Java, are famous for their natural beauty in the form of white sand, blue sea and lush green trees. However, the beauty of paradise that attracts tourists from various parts of the world is being eroded by the activities of shrimp ponds.

Michaela, a German tourist, was speechless when she returned to the Karimunjawa Islands in 2022. Not impressed with the natural beauty that she had seen before in 2017, she was stunned to see hundreds of shrimp ponds spread out before her.

"On the way from Karimunjawa Port to here, I saw some strange ponds. When I asked, it turned out to be shrimp farms. There were so many of them at that time, even though I didn't see them when I came here before," said Michaela when met in Kemujan Village, Karimunjawa District, on Thursday (18/4/2024).

When visiting in 2022, Michaela also explored the mangrove forest in Karimunjawa. In several locations within the forest, she admits to seeing yellow and green water. The pungent smell resembling chemical fluids was also detected from the area.

"I also met with fishermen who complained about the difficulty of obtaining fish and saw people who felt itchy after activities in the waters. It feels so sad. And this is a national park. I can't understand why something like this can happen in a national park," he said with a sigh.

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Workers prepare to harvest shrimp in Karimunjawa National Park, Karimunjawa Village, Karimunjawa District, Jepara, Central Java, Tuesday (16/4/2024).

In mid-April 2024, Michaela returned to Karimunjawa. On her third visit, she hoped that the problem of shrimp pond waste contamination had been resolved. However, she was disappointed to find out that the situation in Karimunjawa had not changed much.

When she got off the ship and walked out of the port, Michaela admitted that she was asked to pay an entrance fee of around IDR 150,000. She asked the officer why she had to pay the fee. According to Michaela, she didn't mind paying, but objected to the fact that the money paid by tourists was not used to preserve the Karimunjawa environment.

Also read: Various problems caused by shrimp pond waste in Karimunjawa

Based on information from the community, Michaela finally learned that the shrimp ponds in Karimunjawa are actually illegal. This condition further furrowed her forehead. She wondered, how could such illegal activities thrive.

Michaela hopes that the government will soon close down these fish farms for the comfort of tourists. "I came here to tour, swim, see fish, and enjoy nature. I don't want to see fish farms like that. That's not entertainment," she said.

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A pipe for pumping water into shrimp ponds runs across the conservation area of Karimunjawa National Park, in Karimunjawa Subdistrict, Jepara, Central Java, on Tuesday (16/4/2024).

Awan (33), a tourist from Semarang City, Central Java, also complained about the existence of shrimp ponds in Karimunjawa. One thing he highlighted was marine pollution due to pond waste. At first, Awan only found out about this from social media. However, when he came to Karimunjawa in 2023 and 2024, he saw the pollution for himself.

"The waste pollution makes tourists itchy. Therefore, I am more cautious when it comes to engaging in activities in the waters of Karimunjawa. In the past, when I wanted to go swimming at the beach, I could easily jump into the water anywhere because it was very clean," said Awan.

Also read: The story of the pros and cons of shrimp farming in Karimunjawa

Previously, Awan always recommended to friends and acquaintances who wanted to go on a sea vacation, both from within and outside the country, to come to Karimunjawa. However, after seeing the current condition of Karimunjawa, he admitted that he had to think twice before giving any recommendations.

"Now it's embarrassing to recommend to friends or acquaintances to travel to Karimunjawa. I'm afraid they'll get a bad impression when they visit there, and it will be told to more people," said Awan.

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A pipe to suck water towards shrimp ponds stretches across the conservation area in Karimunjawa National Park, Karimunjawa District, Jepara, Central Java on Tuesday (16/4/2024).

Underwater tourism

The actors tourism also admitted that they were concerned about the current condition of Karimunjawa. Moreover, shrimp farming activities are said to have an impact on underwater tourist spots in Karimunjawa. H (48), a diving instructor in Karimunjawa, said that installing pipes to channel water into shrimp ponds caused damage to coral reefs.

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"At some points, the coral reefs are damaged or destroyed due to the installation of pipes for aquaculture activities. The pipes are tied to ropes that are anchored to the coral," said H, who has been working as a diving instructor in Karimunjawa for decades.

H added that at some points there are coral reefs covered by sediment from activities on land. According to him, the sediment has been there for a long time. However, after the proliferation of shrimp ponds, the sediment has become more abundant and thicker.

Also read: The Dilemma of Vaname Shrimp Farms Among the Charm of Karimunjawa

Lodging business owners in Karimunjawa are also complaining about the negative effects of shrimp farming activities. Bebe (41), a lodging business manager who is located about 15 meters away from a shrimp pond in Karimunjawa village, admitted to frequently receiving complaints from her guests.

"If it's at night, the sound of the generator from this shrimp pond is very disturbing to guests who want to rest. Sometimes it's added by loud music played by the workers at the pond," said Bebe.

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Tourists enjoy the twilight atmosphere at Alang-alang Beach, Karimunjawa, Jepara, Central Java, Tuesday (16/4/2024).

At certain times, Bebe often smells the unpleasant odor from the shrimp ponds. It is not uncommon for foam from the ponds blown by the wind to also scatter around his lodging, disturbing the comfort of guests.

Another impact felt by Bebe is the contamination of the well, which is the only source of water for her lodging. Some time ago, after bathing using the well water, Bebe's skin became itchy. She had to use ointment to alleviate the itchiness.

Also read: Karimunjawa on the Edge

Bebe added that the plants in her lodging's yard, which were watered with well water, also died. Initially, the plants dried up at the ends. However, slowly but surely, the plants dried up all the way down to the roots and eventually died.

Bebe mentioned that some parts of his lodging also suffered from corrosion. "Coincidentally, the building structure of my lodging uses metal materials. In some parts, I found corrosion," said Bebe.

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Workers harvest vaname shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) in one of the shrimp ponds in Karimunjawa Village, Karimunjawa District, Jepara, Central Java, Wednesday (14/4/2024).

Suroto (43), a shrimp farmer in Karimunjawa, objected his business being accused of polluting the environment. He stated that the waste from his shrimp pond had been processed before being discharged into the sea. The processing was done with a simple wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) made by himself with instructions from the internet.

"I am convinced that the waste that has been processed from my pond is environmentally friendly. In that wastewater treatment pond, I breed moonfish and tilapia. These fish are classified as bioindicators, if they can survive, it means that the water is good," said Suroto.

Now it's embarrassing if you want to recommend to friends or acquaintances to travel to Karimunjawa.

The Head of the Karimunjawa National Park Office, Widyastuti, said that the waste treatment plant used by several shrimp farms in Karimunjawa is not standardized. In addition, based on inspections conducted by officials, several shrimp farm managers dispose of production waste such as leftover feed and shrimp excrement directly into the sea, without being processed by the waste treatment plant.

"They claimed to have a wastewater treatment plant (IPAL), but their IPAL is not standardized. After we coordinated with the environmental agency, the standard is not like that. In fact, there are even those who directly dump it (to the sea)," said Widyastuti when met on Monday (22/4/2024).

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Farmers install seaweed seeds on stretched ropes in Kemujan Village, Karimunjawa, Jepara, Central Java, Thursday (18/4/2024).

Order

In October-November 2023, officials from several government agencies conducted an operation to regulate shrimp ponds in Karimunjawa. Some time later, four farmers were named suspects related to the pollution of shrimp pond waste in the Karimunjawa National Park.

The government's effort is welcomed by tourism players in Karimunjawa. The Chairman of the Karimunjawa Homestay Association, Sumarto Rofiun, hopes that this event can become a momentum to end environmental damage caused by shrimp ponds.

"As tourism business players, what we sell in Karimunjawa is nature. If even the nature is damaged or misused like this, then what? This should not be allowed," said Rofiun.

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Alano Beach in Kemujan Village, Karimunjawa, Jepara, Central Java, seen from the air, Wednesday (18/4/2024).

Head of Jepara Tourism and Culture Agency, Moh Eko Udyyono, said that Karimunjawa has been designated as a tourism zone, not for shrimp farming. This is stipulated in the Jepara Regency Regional Regulation Number 4 of 2023 concerning the Spatial Planning of Jepara Regency for the period of 2023-2043.

Karimunjawa is also one of Central Java's flagship tourist destinations. In fact, based on Government Regulation Number 50 of 2011 concerning the National Tourism Development Master Plan 2010-2025, Karimunjawa has been designated as one of the National Tourism Strategic Areas (KSPN).

Therefore, Karimunjawa's environmental sustainability must be maintained. The natural beauty is what attracts tourists from various countries to come.