Desy Nurhayati Bali Daily Jakarta Post 17 May 13;
Marine conservationists have recommended that the provincial administration strongly consider developing a user fee system for people wanting to access the island’s marine protected areas (MPA).
The money collected under the system could contribute significantly to the costs of MPA management and law enforcement in the areas, said Ketut Sarjana Putra, country executive director of Conservation International Indonesia.
“Bali’s government and all related stakeholders should recognize that effective management of MPA will require serious enforcement and will be a relatively expensive undertaking that needs significant governmental funding to succeed,” he said.
He added that the island’s administration could take example from similar systems that had been implemented effectively in other MPAs in Indonesia, like Bunaken in North Sulawesi and Raja Ampat in West Papua. The system is implemented based on a bylaw.
In Bunaken National Park, all visitors (divers and non-divers) are required to pay an entrance fee, in accordance with North Sulawesi bylaw No. 9/2002.
The entrance fee for foreign visitors is Rp 50,000 (US$5.12) for a daily ticket or Rp 150,000 for a waterproof entrance tag valid for the full calendar year, according to the province’s watersport association website.
All proceeds from entrance tag and ticket sales are managed by the Bunaken National Park Management Advisory Board, a multi-stakeholder board established by a governor’s decree and consisting of dive operators, environmental organizations, academics, relevant government officials and residents of surrounding villages.
The board utilizes these funds to finance a number of high priority conservation programs in the park, including patrols and enforcement to abolish destructive fishing practices, such as blast and cyanide fishing, village improvement programs within the park, collection and disposal of plastic and other wastes entering the park’s waters, marine conservation education of village children and adults, and reef and mangrove rehabilitation.
Meanwhile, in Raja Ampat, the money collected under the user fee system is divided into two major components; levies, which go directly to the tourism agency for tourism development projects, and non-levies, which are managed by a multi-stakeholder team.
Some of the funds are used for conservation or MPA management projects, with the rest going to community projects, according to www.diverajaampat.org.
The Bali Marine Rapid Assessment Program report released last year by Conservation International Indonesia also recommended the implementation of a user fee system.
“Consideration should be given to a user-pay system, whereby visitors pay a nominal fee for MPA access. This can provide significant funds for MPA management and benefits to local communities,” Conservation International’s coral experts Emre Turak and Lyndon DeVantier wrote in the report.
The report also recommended several regions in Bali be prioritized for the development of MPA. These are: the peninsula region (Bukit Uluwatu to Nusa Dua), Nusa Penida, Padangbai-Candidasa, Tulamben-Amed, East Buleleng (Tejakula), Central Buleleng (Lovina), West Buleleng (Pemuteran), West Bali National Park (including Menjangan and Secret Bay) and Perancak, considering that these areas boast a rich biodiversity of reef fish and other marine fauna, as well as coral reefs.
Of the four priority sites, only one has an established management regime, the West Bali National Park. Four other sites (around Buleleng and Nusa Penida) have been declared MPAs and are now undergoing planning and zoning. The four remaining sites (Amed-Tulamben, Padangbai-Candidasa, peninsula and Perancak) are still devoid of formal management regimes.
“These sites need to be managed collaboratively by the government, local communities and private sector, with the help of NGOs and research institutions,” said I Made Jaya Ratha, Conservation International Indonesia’s coastal socioeconomic expert.
Bali, a top global tourism destination, is situated in the southwest corner of the Coral Triangle, the region of highest marine biodiversity on the planet.
Bali’s marine resources have long been an important economic asset to the island as a source of food security and a focus for marine tourism.
Diving and snorkeling attractions, such as Nusa Penida, Candidasa, Menjangan (West Bali National Park), and the Tulamben USS Liberty wreck have been drawing tourists into the island’s waters for decades, and more recently the private marine tourism sector has expanded the menu of options to include sites like Puri Jati, Karang Anyar and Amed.
Other important activities in Bali’s coasts are, among others, seaweed farming and ornamental fish collecting.
