Desy Nurhayati, The Jakarta Post 18 Nov 09;
The construction of high-voltage power lines connecting the East Java and Bali grids may pose a further threat to the critically endangered Bali starling, an ornithologist warned Tuesday.
The power lines, which are expected to boost the island's electricity supply by 1,000 megawatts (MW), could pass over the West Bali National Park, a natural habitat for the bird.
Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB) ornithologist Jarwadi B. Hernowo said the inevitable opening up of the park due to the project could lead to increased poaching of the starlings.
"There's no guarantee that there won't be any poaching of the birds or destruction of their habitat," said Jarwadi, who recently did a study on the local starling population.
"It's a security problem that threatens the species."
The Bali Crossing project will transmit power from the Paiton plant in East Java to Bali, which currently has a supply of only 500 MW.
"The shortest way to connect the two islands is through Lampu Merah, Labuan Lalang, Kotal and Brumbun, most of which is part of the national park," Jarwadi said. "So the project will certainly affect the habitat."
However, state electricity monopoly PT PLN has made assurances the project will not pass over the national park area, located on the western tip of Bali.
PLN Bali general manager Arifuddin Nurdin said transmission towers to support the cables would be installed along the periphery of the national park, without actually crossing into the protected area.
He said the company had discussed the plan with the provincial administration to ensure minimum impact on the park.
PLN will suspend the cables around 45 meters above the tallest trees, Arifuddin said.
Should the power lines pass over the national park, Jarwadi said, supervision by forest rangers should be tightened to prevent poaching of wildlife and destruction of conservation areas.
An estimated 80 Bali starlings live in the park. The population began dwindling in the 1990s due to rampant poaching of the indigenous species, which fetched up to Rp 40 million a bird at that time.
Conservationists have conducted numerous reintroduction programs to boost the starling population.
Park head Bambang Darmaja called for a win-win solution to the electricity issue.
"We must ensure the species are not threatened, and at the same time the project must go ahead to supply more power to Bali," he said. "We support the project, so long as we can find a win-win solution."
The Forestry Ministry has not yet issued a permit for the project.
A joint team of park officials, scientists, academics and government officials will be set up to evaluate the impact of the project on the park and its wildlife.
Bali Starling Threatened by Poaching, Development
Made Arya Kencana, Jakarta Globe 18 Nov 09;
Kuta, Bali. The future of Bali’s critically endangered avian emblem, the Bali starling, is increasingly heading the way of the extinct Bali tiger due to continued poaching and an electricity development project that threatens the bird’s dwindling habitat.
Jarwadi B Hernowo, an ornithologist from the Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB), said his research had revealed that the reduction of the West Bali National Park — established in Jembrana district largely to protect the bird, known locally as jalak Bali — had increased access to the protected coastal forests, leading to increased poaching.
Speaking at an international workshop in Kuta on Tuesday about improving management systems at the park, Jarwadi said his research from June 2008 through October 2009 showed that there were just 60 to 80 of the birds left in the wild. In 1978, by comparison, 550 Bali starlings were recorded in the wild.
He also believed the entire population — with the exception of at least three hatchlings — comprised birds released into the wild over the past three years.
The other major threat to the population, Jarwadi said, was the Java-Bali interconnected power transmission network, also called the Bali Crossing project.
He said the shortest distance between Java and Bali was from the northwest, through the West Bali National Park. If transmission lines were to be constructed throughout the park, he said the habitat would be under even greater threat.
Jarwadi said the Bali Crossing project could lead to new road networks in or around the park, opening up access to the forests.
“Perhaps [such plans] will not affect the Bali starling’s food and water supply, but its safety should also be considered. Remember that poaching poses the most significant threat to the birds,” he said.
Jawardi gave as examples several national projects that had infringed on wildlife habitats across the country, including Ladya Galaska, a road project in Gunung Leuser National Park in North Sumatra and Aceh, and the construction of a road that dissects the Baluran National Park in East Java.
Arifuddin Nurdin, general manager for state power utility PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara in Bali, said the power grid for the Bali Crossing would be situated on the periphery of the park, without infringing on the forest.
Bidding for the project is currently underway with at least three foreign firms expressing interest, he said, adding that the project was expected to be operational by 2013.
