Wayan Koster: Land Function Transfer For Tourism Must Be Controlled

Former Governor Of Bali Wayan Koster/PHOTO: Dafi-VOI

DENPASAR - Former Bali Governor Wayan Koster said that the conversion of land functions, especially rice fields for tourism development, must be controlled in the future.

"The use of productive land, especially rice fields, must be strictly controlled, not not not to build tourism facilities, but to use unproductive land, so that our productive lands at a certain minimum must be maintained," he said in Denpasar, Tuesday, May 28.

Wayan Koster conveyed this in Primakara University's public lecture, where he also revealed data on land conversion for the last 3 years.

Based on data he collected in 2020, rice fields on the Island of the Gods amounted to 71 thousand hectares, then to 68 thousand hectares at this time or a decrease of around 1,000 hectares per year.

"Our source of power is decreasing, threatening people's lives, many for hotels and villas, the rice fields being scratched as business facilities of all kinds so that it will decrease," he said.

Koster admits tourism development is a good thing because it has an impact on economic growth, but on the other hand it must sacrifice land.

Meanwhile, when productive land continues to decrease, it will have an impact on the availability of food needed in the midst of the increasing population of Bali.

"Therefore, it does not mean to stop the construction of tourism facilities but directs the development to use dry unproductive lands," said Koster.

He wants the food needs in Bali to be met so that they do not depend on other regions, especially during his leadership yesterday, the Bali 100-year map has been launched in the future which prioritizes the use of local Balinese products.

"This is what we have to protect in the future, not to let the babaklas, so now people's response to the conversion of rice fields, let alone damage cliffs, it must be controlled, not because all of our tourism is destroyed by our cultural nature," said Koster.