Traditional guards preserve Bali's environment
Saturday, 15 December 2007
Ary Hermawan and Wasti Atmodjo
A traditional boat floated still over a diving site in waters off Pemuteran beach. Its single passenger, intently watching the sea, raised the suspicions of five men wearing Balinese traditional black and white sarongs. They were quick in deciding to approach the mysterious boat.
The man was not alone; below the boat two divers were illegally catching decorative fish within the protected marine conservation zone.
Conservation laws were being broken; the five men seized the evidence and arrested the fishermen, escorting them to authorities from the traditional Pemuteran village in Gerokgak, Buleleng regency.
The men in black and white are members of a community-based security unit called pecalang that has deep roots in the well-preserved Balinese traditional culture.
Pemuteran's pecalang patrol the beach to safeguard the five-hectare marine conservation zone from coral and marine-life theft.
Every village in Bali has pecalang. The traditional guards maintain village security and manage traffic flows during religious and customary ceremonies. Pecalang in Pemuteran are different from other community guards because they have the additional responsibility of helping conserve the diversity of marine life. Pemuteran's guards are known as pecalang laut or sea guards. A seaside village, Pemuteran's pecalang unit has 30 members, coordinated by Made Gunasa.
"Besides helping processions during religious ceremonies, pecalang here also have the added responsibility of protecting sea creatures from theft by the public," said Made.
He said that marine life conservation was vital to the economy of his village, which is heavily dependent on the beauty of its reefs, and other undersea wonders, as the main attraction for tourists. "They are a blessing to the village and its people," he said.
Pemuteran's pecalang patrol 20-kilometers of beach at least three times a week by motor boat when necessary, or as foot patrol along the beach.
"It depends on the situation. If the public report possible illegal fishing, we will patrol the sea for days," said one of Pemuteran's elders, Wayan Siram, who initiated the creation of the pecalang laut, or sea guards, in the village.
He added that illegal fishing and coral theft, including mass fishing with dynamite, were once rampant in the village. The devastating use of dynamite to harvest fish has declined since 2000 when the business community, scientists and residents joined hands in conservation measures.
"Citizens are now more aware of the importance of reef and marine life conservation and they are starting to realise that they depend on it for their livelihoods. They don't want marine creature numbers to be reduced because there is a growing recognition that agriculture is no longer dependable," he said.
As of the end of November this year, just two cases of illegal fishing for decorative fish were reported. The perpetrators were dealt with by local customary authorities who explained the importance of marine conservation and confiscated their fishing equipment
"We did not view what they did as a serious crime," Gunasa said.
Gunasa said that fishing for consumption was allowed outside the five-hectare conservation zone in Pemuteran as long as fishing practices were environmentally friendly.
Pecalang laut members are in some ways ambassadors of their communities and are expected to treat visitors and others with respect, he said.
"They are not allowed to display their weapons. They work voluntarily and are not paid wages. Our operational fund, of about Rp 350,000 (US$38) per month, comes from 18 people with businesses in Pemuteran," said Made.
Other parties also contribute to the pecalang laut by donating equipment, such as a motorboat and a telescope, essential to the security organisation's operation.
Much of the operational fund is used to fuel the motorboat during routine beach and ocean patrols.
Pemuteran businessman, AA Prana, said that he was looking at initiating a payment system for the pecalang laut.
"It is still under discussion. We hope that all stakeholders will take part in this process," he said, adding, that payment was planned to be twice annually.
Another fund raising activity is the sale of special badges to hotel guests wishing to explore undersea wonders in Pemuteran. Funds raised from their sale will be donated to help finance the pecalang laut operational costs.
An expert on Balinese culture, Wayan Windia, responded positively to Pemuteran's pecalang laut. He says preserving nature is part of the customary laws upheld by the traditional banjar institution.
"There is also pecalang hutan (who safeguard forests)," said Windia, who deplored the fact that pecalang, as an integral part of the banjar, had today been used for purposes unrelated to Bali's religious and cultural events.
Pecalang also work to secure secular events such as a political party's congress or an international conference taking place on the island. "It is the same as bringing the police into temples," he said.
According to Windia, the involvement of pecalang as security apparatus for non-traditional events was common after dictatorial former president, Soeharto, stepped down in 1998 and the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, the largest political party in Bali, held its first congress.
Pecalang were involved in securing the congress, and were again employed in 2002 when police asked for their assistance securing the ministerial meeting on the preparation of the international conference on sustainable development.
.............................
The Jakarta Post
A traditional boat floated still over a diving site in waters off Pemuteran beach. Its single passenger, intently watching the sea, raised the suspicions of five men wearing Balinese traditional black and white sarongs. They were quick in deciding to approach the mysterious boat.
The man was not alone; below the boat two divers were illegally catching decorative fish within the protected marine conservation zone.
Conservation laws were being broken; the five men seized the evidence and arrested the fishermen, escorting them to authorities from the traditional Pemuteran village in Gerokgak, Buleleng regency.
The men in black and white are members of a community-based security unit called pecalang that has deep roots in the well-preserved Balinese traditional culture.
Pemuteran's pecalang patrol the beach to safeguard the five-hectare marine conservation zone from coral and marine-life theft.
Every village in Bali has pecalang. The traditional guards maintain village security and manage traffic flows during religious and customary ceremonies. Pecalang in Pemuteran are different from other community guards because they have the additional responsibility of helping conserve the diversity of marine life. Pemuteran's guards are known as pecalang laut or sea guards. A seaside village, Pemuteran's pecalang unit has 30 members, coordinated by Made Gunasa.
"Besides helping processions during religious ceremonies, pecalang here also have the added responsibility of protecting sea creatures from theft by the public," said Made.
He said that marine life conservation was vital to the economy of his village, which is heavily dependent on the beauty of its reefs, and other undersea wonders, as the main attraction for tourists. "They are a blessing to the village and its people," he said.
Pemuteran's pecalang patrol 20-kilometers of beach at least three times a week by motor boat when necessary, or as foot patrol along the beach.
"It depends on the situation. If the public report possible illegal fishing, we will patrol the sea for days," said one of Pemuteran's elders, Wayan Siram, who initiated the creation of the pecalang laut, or sea guards, in the village.
He added that illegal fishing and coral theft, including mass fishing with dynamite, were once rampant in the village. The devastating use of dynamite to harvest fish has declined since 2000 when the business community, scientists and residents joined hands in conservation measures.
"Citizens are now more aware of the importance of reef and marine life conservation and they are starting to realise that they depend on it for their livelihoods. They don't want marine creature numbers to be reduced because there is a growing recognition that agriculture is no longer dependable," he said.
As of the end of November this year, just two cases of illegal fishing for decorative fish were reported. The perpetrators were dealt with by local customary authorities who explained the importance of marine conservation and confiscated their fishing equipment
"We did not view what they did as a serious crime," Gunasa said.
Gunasa said that fishing for consumption was allowed outside the five-hectare conservation zone in Pemuteran as long as fishing practices were environmentally friendly.
Pecalang laut members are in some ways ambassadors of their communities and are expected to treat visitors and others with respect, he said.
"They are not allowed to display their weapons. They work voluntarily and are not paid wages. Our operational fund, of about Rp 350,000 (US$38) per month, comes from 18 people with businesses in Pemuteran," said Made.
Other parties also contribute to the pecalang laut by donating equipment, such as a motorboat and a telescope, essential to the security organisation's operation.
Much of the operational fund is used to fuel the motorboat during routine beach and ocean patrols.
Pemuteran businessman, AA Prana, said that he was looking at initiating a payment system for the pecalang laut.
"It is still under discussion. We hope that all stakeholders will take part in this process," he said, adding, that payment was planned to be twice annually.
Another fund raising activity is the sale of special badges to hotel guests wishing to explore undersea wonders in Pemuteran. Funds raised from their sale will be donated to help finance the pecalang laut operational costs.
An expert on Balinese culture, Wayan Windia, responded positively to Pemuteran's pecalang laut. He says preserving nature is part of the customary laws upheld by the traditional banjar institution.
"There is also pecalang hutan (who safeguard forests)," said Windia, who deplored the fact that pecalang, as an integral part of the banjar, had today been used for purposes unrelated to Bali's religious and cultural events.
Pecalang also work to secure secular events such as a political party's congress or an international conference taking place on the island. "It is the same as bringing the police into temples," he said.
According to Windia, the involvement of pecalang as security apparatus for non-traditional events was common after dictatorial former president, Soeharto, stepped down in 1998 and the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, the largest political party in Bali, held its first congress.
Pecalang were involved in securing the congress, and were again employed in 2002 when police asked for their assistance securing the ministerial meeting on the preparation of the international conference on sustainable development.
.............................
The Jakarta Post