Bali Uprising: Plan to Convert Protected Area into Golf Courses, Mall Spurs Outrage

by Loren Bell / Mongabay

In a reversal sparking outrage from locals, and concern from environmentalists, the Governor of Bali, Indonesia has given the green light to a controversial development project in Benoa Bay. The plan would convert 700 acres of theoretically protected mangrove and ocean front into a tourist haven of golf courses, hotels, luxury shopping and attractions rumored to include a race track and theme park. The project moved a step closer to reality when Governor Pastika reversed his 2013 rejection of the proposal—which he initially approved in 2012. The move has sparked a series of protests and demonstrations by local citizens and environmental groups concerned that the development will kill livelihoods and destroy the fragile marine ecosystem.

The plan was initially approved in 2012 after a 73 page feasibility study, conducted by researchers at Udayana University, claimed that among other benefits, the development would provide protection against tsunamis since the mangrove swamp would be back-filled to five to six meters higher than current levels. The study was reportedly conducted under an MoU with the developer.Shortly after the permit was granted, environmental groups questioned the validity of the study’s findings, citing conflicting evidence that the development would be an ecological disaster.

