It is no secret that rapid tourism development is impacting Bali’s environment. From the conversion of rice paddies into villa complexes to coastal cliffside into expansive resorts, aerial views of Bali are changing at an unprecedented pace.
Rapid development is impacting not only the landscape and lives of local people but also wildlife.
Monkeys are among the species worst affected by the rapid development of tourism and commercial properties along the south coast of Bali.
The famous macaques of Uluwatu are being displaced as bulldozers excavate the landscape to make way for construction, encroaching upon and, in some cases, totally destroying their natural habitat and home range.
Tio Russ, a prominent animal welfare advocate in Bali, has been sharing footage online of her efforts to help provide food for wild monkeys displaced by construction and development work in the Uluwatu area.
Russ and her community are now supporting up to ten monkey troops in the Bukit area, whose nesting trees and home range have been destroyed in the name of tourism development.
In a social media post Russ can be seen throwing kilos of food out to the wild monkeys who have little other sustenance available to them. Russ explains that she’s delivered 150kg of jicama, known locally as bongkwong, as well as fifteen sacks of bananas and 15kg of peanuts.
She’s been calling on the local community to donate leftover fruit in order to prevent the organic waste from going to landfills and support wildlife in need.
While there are always concerns regarding interacting and intentionally feeding wildlife, animal welfare advocates like Russ feel that it is their moral duty to care for wildlife negatively impacted by habitat degradation.
Many feel that if the monkeys aren’t cared for in what natural habitat they have left, that they will have no option but to move closer to communities and steal food where they can.
Many residents and local leaders in Bali are concerned that the rapid conversion of land from wild landscapes and agricultural land into commercial and tourism properties has been undertaken without due consideration for the long-term impacts on the land and, in turn, the local communities and wider ecosystems.
There are fears that many projects in Bali have been given the go-ahead without in-depth environmental impact assessments or sufficient focus on reducing environmental harm.
A new bill is expected to be brought into effect this month, banning new tourism developments in many areas of South Bali.
Yet many fear the moratorium is too little, too late, with dozens of luxury 5-star hotels, resorts, and villas already being constructed and set to start development over the next three years.
The moratorium is expected to ban new projects, not halt those that have already been granted permission.
The General Manager of Nanau Property Group, Evgeny Obolentsev, told reporters that as demand for travel in Bali continues to increase, so too will interest from property developers.
He explained, “This, of course, gives a significant boost to the growth of the property industry in Bali, especially the construction of villas and hotels to accommodate the increase in tourist visits to Bali.”
He noted that areas such as Seseh, Kedungu, and Cemagi are the next big destinations of interest for developers. Over the last five years, developers have focused on Canggu, Uluwatu, and the communities on the outskirts of Ubud.
Obolenstev affirmed the need for consideration and balance in future developments across the province.
He told reporters, “What is needed is balance, how to keep Bali a tropical paradise for tourists, without sacrificing nature and culture that has existed for thousands of years. Thus, zoning becomes very crucial so that there is no overlap in land allocation, which can eventually harm all parties involved.”
He reiterated the developers must act responsibly when creating new projects in Bali, adding, “What is no less important is how we as developers can build properties in harmony with the surrounding nature and Balinese culture itself. The reason is that nature and culture are part of the concept of residential development itself.”
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