Wahana Lingkungan Hidup Indonesia (Walhi) has voiced its concerns regarding the government’s upcoming moratorium on construction in Bali, stating that the policy should have been implemented long ago. The rapid development and conversion of agricultural land in Bali, particularly rice fields, is alarming, with around 2,000 hectares lost each year to make way for tourism accommodations such as hotels and villas.

Walhi is urging the government to promptly enforce the construction moratorium on hotels and villas, as Bali is deemed overdeveloped. Much of the island’s green spaces have already been transformed into buildings.

The conversion of land has significantly impacted Bali’s ecosystem and overall environment, according to Made Krisna Dinata, also known as Bokis, Executive Director of Walhi Bali. He emphasized that the relentless infrastructure development, which often alters the landscape in extractive ways, is a key factor.

Data collected by Walhi Bali from 2000 to 2020 shows a sharp decline in rice field areas in Badung and Denpasar. By 2020, only around 3,000 hectares of rice fields remained, compared to approximately 7,000 hectares in 2000.

This marks a reduction of 4,334.01 hectares, or a 23.44% loss, over the past two decades.

With the data only covering the areas of Badung and Denpasar, Made Krisna Dinata, also known as Bokis, expressed concern for other regions of Bali. He compared it with data from Bali’s Department of Culture, which reported that five out of 1,596 subak (Bali’s traditional irrigation system governed by customary law) had disappeared by 2018.

According to the same data, Bali had 69,000 hectares of rice fields remaining in 2018, a significant drop from the 80,000 hectares in 2014. Over just four years, Bali lost 11,000 hectares of rice fields, averaging a reduction of around 2,000 hectares per year. “Currently, Bali has approximately 62,000 hectares of rice fields,” Bokis stated.