Jakarta Globe 6 May 09;
Anambas Islands, a new district carved out of the better-known Natuna region, is an area tremendously rich in biological diversity: rare species of primates, nearly-extinct species of fish and turtles and many varieties of trees.
It is an environmentalist’s idea of paradise and one they are keen to preserve.
But there are others who have an interest in Anambas — in the province of Riau Islands — and the new administration will have the task of finding a sustainable balance between these sometimes incompatible interests.
The first of these interests is the oil and gas industry, not always the best of bedfellows with the environmental movement.
Tourism also has a foot in the door in Anambas, now mostly coral reef divers from Singapore, but the biodiversity offers the promise of eco-tourism, and perhaps, if managed properly, one of the keys to conserving the ecological wealth.
The third, and not the least, is the local population, about 40,000 people believed descended from the famous seafaring Bugis of Sulawesi. The marine biodiversity of the islands has long been the foundation of their traditional economy, which mostly involves fishing.
The islands lie on the borders of Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand, not far off the busy sea route that runs through the Malacca Strait.
The oil and natural gas industry has had a presence in Anambas Islands dating back to 1976 through two foreign oil companies, the American ConocoPhillips and Britain’s Premier Oil in cooperation with Indonesia’s Star Energy.
Because the area’s gas reserves are still abundant, more companies are destined to come.
Idris Zaini, a member of the Regional Representative Council (DPD), said the D-Alpha block alone holds a gas potential of 46 trillion cubic feet — the largest gas deposit in the Asia-Pacific region. The D-Alpha block, which is being developed by ExxonMobil to the tune of $350 million, is expected to start production in 2018.
Syarifuddin, head of the Anambas Regional Development Body, said foreign investors were still lining up for mining oil and gas concession in the islands, but he could not reveal any names.
“I do not know which companies will invest here. I was only told that more investment in gas and oil would flow into this place soon,” Syarifuddin said.
How these developments will affect the area’s biodiversity and the other industries on the islands is still uncertain, especially as the new local government, in power for just six months, has not yet played a significant role in managing the local economy.
Fishing, given the sea makes up 98.65 percent of the new district, remains the main source of income for local people.
The issue for environmentalists is how to conserve the region’s vast biodiversity in the face of growing commercial pressure.
The local fishing economy, because it remains mostly traditional, and tourism, which is not yet developed, are not an immediate threat to the biodiversity, but in the face of increasing foreign investment, what will happen in the future is not certain.
Hoek Hui Tan and Kelvin K.P. Lim, researchers from the National University of Singapore, surveyed Anambas Islands in 2002 and can testify to the variety of life in the area.
The two researchers discovered at least 11 new species, including a new species of blue-ringed octopus, a new species of coral symbiont crab, four species of fish — two saltwater and two freshwater — and a new species of freshwater crab.
The most exciting find was the venomous blue-ringed octopus, which was discovered late at night during a trawling exercise.
In an effort to safeguard the biological treasure, Conservation International Indonesia, the National University of Singapore and the Anambas regional administration are working together to conserve the islands’ flora and fauna. Last month, the three organizations met in Jakarta to lay the groundwork for sustainable development.
“The basic idea is that there should be specific areas — on sea and land — put aside for biodiversity conservation,” said Fachruddin Mangunjaya, a CI executive, adding that the conservation should provide economical and social benefits to residents.
Fachruddin said the most feasible sector would be marine ecotourism. “Foreign tourists would be eager to see the unique biological richness here,” he said, adding that was one reason for “keeping the natural wealth in good shape.”
The joint cooperation plans also propose the whole region become a conservation area. “If we can get both national and international support, Anambas could become a place of a sustainable biodiversity,” he said.
But whether all parties can be accommodated is for the future to decide.
