Case study: Marine Protected Areas in West Bali – algae aquaculture as a solution

< Nadine Freischlad >
I’ve been lucky to spend the past few weeks in Indonesia. Part of my trip involved visiting a program initiated by the WWF in West Bali: This region is designated as a National Park but still, the coastal ecosystem has been suffering greatly from overfishing/cyniade fishing and tourism, as local inhabitants are struggling to find sources of income.

Bali Barat National Park Region



Part of the WWF’s work was to introduce collectives of fishermen to algae farming, a practice which is NOT native to Bali, but is considered a profitable and simple alternative to fishing. It has been successfully introduced to other areas of Bali previously, including Nusa Dua and Nusa Lembongan. (Another more sustainable form of fish production are the grouper breeding sites, floating aquafarm structures locally known as Kerambah, which I will report on later.)

Since the days in the village of Sumber Kima (‘Source of Pearls’), one of the villages in the vicinity of the National Park, have been so extremely insightful, I will split up the report into several posts. The first post is dedicated to painting a picture of the complex cultural, economic and ecological system that makes up a coastal zone in Indonesia – and most likely everywhere else in the world.

The obvious conflict in the area of the National Park was the clash of interests between those wanting to preserve the natural habitat and those people in need of using the ocean’s resources for their survival. In the beginning, not enough effort was put into bringing together all interests, which resulted in the criminalization of people still using destructive fishing methods and catching ornamental fish to sell them.

In this situation, there was a need for mediation and bringing all stakeholders together in a common forum. (Which is what the WWF facilitated) Representatives of the National Park, fishermen groups, regional entrepreneurs and the local police are meeting regularly to discuss problems and to find solutions. The main pillars of work of this forum are:

1. Protecting the coastal ecosystem (Zonation of National Park: core zone vs. zones for ‘light’ tourism, research, recreation)
2. Introducing alternative sources of income for fishermen (algae farming)
3. Joint patrols to monitor
4. Fundraising

Algae aquaculture seemed especially suited as the demand is high and it has worked in other regions of Bali. It requires little investment, thus allowing fishermen with little funds to join in.

Villagers in Bali are often organized in neighborhood collectives, or groups, in which they share workload and equipment. In this specific program, effort has been made to integrate the women of the collective into to production cycle. The women help with preparing the seeds, planting and harvesting, but are also responsible for some processing of the algae. This includes baking cakes, making different sorts of candy and crackers, which are then sold at local markets.

Since the program started in 2003, after some initial difficulties, the farmers have seen some significant improvements and more groups have joined in. The amount of algae produced has risen dramatically and they report that fish are now more plentiful and easy to catch as they use the algae farming site to feed on and for shelter.

increase in yearly algae production from 1 0 tons to 750 tons since 2003 (weight before drying)"



Another interesting fact is that the fishermen-turned-algae farmers on Bali are not actually Balinese people, but from the island of Madura. The Madurese, living on a small and overpopulated island, have a long tradition of fishing. They are also known to be very skilled boat builders and are basically found inhabiting any coast of the Indonesian Archipelago, bringing their belief, Islam, with them. The Balinese themselves, as Hindus, are traditionally not fishers but farmers and prefer to populate the mountainous regions. In their belief, Demons inhabit the seas while the mountains are the domain of the gods.

Thus, the program to help the fishermen to find more sustainable, less exploitative and most of all legal uses of the ocean is not only addressing an economic dimension, but might also be part of stabilizing the social fabric. (Luckily, there is and has been NO conflict regarding differences in religion or culture in the region)



So, I am thinking that my next visit should be to Madura, to learn from the cradle of these crafty sea-faring people ☺

Look, they even make their own fishing nets… I totally believed those are machine-made these days!



Stay tuned for Part 2: The algaeculture method employed in Bali Barat (seeding, long-line planting, harvesting, replanting, drying)

< /Nadine Freischlad >