Ni Komang Erviani, Denpasar – Dozens of environmental activists staged a protest Friday in front of the Bali governor's office to oppose a plan to develop Buyan Lake in Buleleng.
Wearing masks in the likeness of Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika, the activists, under the banner of the Bali chapter of the Indonesia Forum for the Environment (Walhi), rejected the plan to develop Lake Buyan into the Buyan Eco-tourism Heaven resort, calling it a capitalist's agenda.
"Buyan is for people not for capitalists," one poster read. "Stop greed and save the environment," read another.
PT Anantara plans to develop Buyan Lake into an integrated ecotourism resort featuring an organic farm and a large cultural stage. The Bali provincial government is studying the proposal but has not approved it.
Lake Buyan and two other lakes in Bangli and Buleleng regencies are considered sacred and are water catchments feeding plantations in Subak.
"The Bali province doesn't have to continue to discuss that ill-fated proposal. The government should reject the idea immediately," said head of the Bali chapter of Walhi, Agung Wardana.
He said the areas surrounding the attractive Lake Buyan were attractive to investors, "But, the government should be wise and smart and reject any investment proposal that will ruin the ecological system in the area".
"Lake Buyan, Lake Beratan, Lake Tamblingan serve the same function as important catchments for all of Bali."
He said the areas were too delicate to sustain a development project and that the island's entire ecosystem could be unsettled if they were damaged.
Wardana said he was not convinced the project would improve the environmental condition of the lake and its neighboring areas.
"This is only a manipulative effort to obtain a development permit from the governor," he said. "Most investors operating in Bali just exploit nature and only think of making profits for their businesses."
Investors from outside of Bali, including foreigners, have joined a race to build hotels, villas and restaurants in some undeveloped areas on the island that are considered environmentally fragile. Ayung River in Ubud, Gianyar regency, for example, is being developed at a relentless pace. Rice paddies in Seminyak and Kuta, Badung, have also made way for tourist facitilies.
The province's secretary, Nyoman Yasa, who received representatives from the protesters, told reporters that the government had not decided to approve the project.
Lake Buyan covers an area of 478 hectares. According to a study conducted by Udayana University's Environmental Research and Study School, the lake's water level has decreased significantly since 2006.