Lonely Planet Indonesia

by Lonely Planet

  Java's longest river, the Cirtarum, is also one of the world's most polluted from both rubbish and chemical dumping by a growing industrial sector. A 15-year US$500 million loan from the Asian Development Bank is supposed to go toward its clean-up and rehabilitation.

  TRADITIONAL? MEDICINE?

  Deforestation may have widespread implications, but an even more pernicious threat targets some of Indonesia's most imperilled species: the booming international trade in animals and animal parts. The growing demand is largely fuelled by the rise of China's wealthy class and their conspicuous consumption of exotic food and medicine. The use of animal parts is often loosely attributed to traditional Chinese medicine, though some products are relatively recent additions, and there is little to no scientific evidence that any have true medicinal value.

  Regardless, tiger demand has increased as the newly rich seek out status-confirming products like tiger bone wine, which can sell for $250 per bottle, and is believed to cure arthritis. Shark fin soup, claimed to increase virility, drives a US$500-million-per-year 'finning' industry – a harvesting practice whereby poachers cut off fins and dump the sharks back in the water to bleed to death. In 2014, Indonesian authorities confiscated 55 porcupines, whose bezoar stones (sometimes found in their digestive tracts) are believed to cure cancer, and sun bear poaching is on the rise for their gall bladders.

  The world's most trafficked animal, pangolins (or scaly anteater) are covered in scales which people dry and powder to treat everything from swelling and arthritis to 'women possessed by devils and ogres'. Their meat is also a highly prized delicacy throughout Asia, and in Vietnam, restaurants openly sell pangolin for US$250 a kilogram. A 2015 bust in Sumatra confiscated 96 live pangolin along with five tonnes more of frozen animals and 77kg of scales estimated to be worth $1.8million.

  Kalimantan

  Deforestation and resource extraction occur in Kalimantan on an unprecedented scale. Coal-mining permits for over half of the land around the city of Samarinda have been issued, resulting in widespread flooding that costs the government tens of millions of dollars in damages each year. Indonesian health officials have warned that residents along the Mahakam river are at high risk of illness and skin disease due to pollution.

  During the dry seasons of 2014 and 2015, smog from hundreds of unstoppable fires shut down airports and caused widespread respiratory illness. For the first time, Indonesia's government began cracking down in 2015, fining multiple companies for intentionally starting fires. Meanwhile, several indigenous communities have secured official recognition of their rights to ancestral lands, and some are developing ecotourism initiatives to provide alternative income for their village.

  Bali

  This beautiful island is its own worst enemy: it can't help being popular. Walhi, the Indonesian Forum for Environment (www.walhi.or.id), estimates that the average hotel room uses 3000L of water. The typical golf course needs three million litres a day. Hence, a place fabled for its water is now running short. In addition, rice fields are being converted to commercial land at a rate of about 600 to 1000 hectares a year.

  Meanwhile, a plan to create a golf course and shopping mall on top of 700 hectares of mangrove forest near Denpasar, euphemistically called the Benoa Bay Reclamation Project, continues to be a flashpoint for Bali's environmentalists. Feasibility studies predict the project will cause widespread flooding and destroy local fisheries.

  Sulawesi

  Conflict over mining near the beautiful dive areas of Bangka Island took an ugly turn in 2014 when officers from the company harassed a group of foreign divers, forcing them to surface and hauling them to shore for questioning. The local government has granted a Chinese-owned company permits to mine for iron ore without performing an environmental impact assessment, and without approval from the Ministry of Forestry. Also threatening area reefs are organised networks of cyanide fishing bankrolled by foreign bosses.

  Its proximity to the Philippines makes the port at Bitung on Sulawesi an unfortunate epicentre for wildlife smuggling. Tasikoki (www.tasikoki.org) is an entirely volunteer-run organisation that rescues and cares for animals confiscated from smugglers.

  Nusa Tenggara

  On southern Lombok, unprecedented new development in the previously untouched and beautiful beach area of Kuta will have untold environmental consequences. On the other hand, in 2015, Lombok's governor did reject a plan to transport 23 million cubic metres of sand from his island to use as back-fill in the controversial Benoa Bay Reclamation Project on neighbouring Bali; and nearby, the Gili Eco Trust continues to make great strides toward greening the Gili islands (Click here).

  Things are not looking good in West Sumbawa, however, where authorities struggle to get a handle on illegal gold mining where over 1000 small operations dump a steady stream of mercury into the island's waterways. Elsewhere, dynamite fishing and poaching by locals is an ongoing concern in Unesco-listed Komodo National Park.

  Visit environmental news site mongabay.com for the latest information on Indonesia's conservation successes...and failures.

  Maluku

  A timber-harvesting scheme threatens to destroy half of the forest of Aru, one of Indonesia's biodiversity hotspots. The land was slated for 500,000 hectares of sugar-cane plantations, but the plan was rejected in 2014 after international outcry. However, the plans resurfaced again in 2015.

  The Maluku islands are also prime poaching ground for the wild bird trade. Populations of endemic and rare species have plummeted in recent years, especially songbirds, which collectors buy to enter into lucrative singing contests.

  Papua

  At the time of research, President Jokowi was poised to recreate the environmental catastrophe of the failed Mega Rice Project (Click here), which destroyed millions of hectares of Kalimantan's peat forests and produced nothing. In a visit to Merauke in 2015 he announced plans to revitalise the controversial plan to clear 1.2 million hectares of forest over three years to make way for large-scale industrial agriculture. Ultimately the plan calls for 4.6 million hectares of new rice production in the area, despite the fact that the land is already home to some of Papau's long-marginalised indigenous groups.

  LOCAL ACTION

  As the environmental situation becomes more dire, more Indonesians are taking notice. Although international groups like World Wildlife Fund and the Nature Conservancy have strong and effective presences in Indonesia, it is the burgeoning local environmental movements that will exact real and lasting change.

  Profauna (www.profauna.net/en) operates throughout Indonesia to protect turtles and combat wildlife trade.

  Walhi (Indonesian Friends of the Earth; www.walhi.or.id) works to protect the country's environment at many levels.

  AMAN (Indigenous People's Alliance of the Archipelago; www.aman.or.id/en/) helps secure indigenous rights to the natural forests necessary for their livelihood.

  JATAM (Mining Advocacy Network; english.jatam.org) works toward environmental responsibility and human-rights protection in Indonesia's mining sector.

  Responsible Travel

  Responsible Diving

  Responsible Hiking & Trekking

  Volunteering

  Responsible Travel

  To visit Indonesia responsibly, try to tread lightly as you go, with respect for both the land and the diverse cultures of its people.

  Watch your use of water Water demand outstrips supply in much of Indonesia – even at seemingly green places like Bali. Take your hotel up on its offer to save water by not washing your sheets and towels every day. At the high end you can also forgo your own private plunge pool, or a pool altogether.

  Don't hit the bottle Those bottles of Aqua (a top local brand of bottled water, owned by Danone) are convenient but they add up. The zillions of such bottles tossed away each year are a serious blight. Since tap water is unsafe, ask your hotel if you can refill from their huge containers of drinking water. Some enlightened businesses already offer this service.

 
Support environmentally aware businesses The number of businesses committed to good environmental practices is growing fast in Indonesia. Keep an eye out within this guide for the sustainable icon, which identifies environmentally savvy businesses.

  Conserve power Turn off lights and air-con when not using them.

  Bag the bags Refuse plastic bags – a major blight (and say no to plastic straws too).

  Leave the animals be Don't swim with captive dolphins, ride elephants, and patronise attractions where wild animals are made to perform for crowds, interactions that have been identified by animal welfare experts as harmful to the animals. And don't try to pet, feed or otherwise interact with animals in the wild as it disrupts their natural behaviour and can make them sick.

  Responsible Diving

  The popularity of diving puts immense pressure on many sites. Consider the following tips when diving and help preserve the ecology and beauty of Indonesia's reefs:

  Avoid touching living marine organisms with your body or dragging equipment across the reef. Never stand on corals.

  Be conscious of your fins. The surge from heavy fin strokes near the reef can damage delicate organisms. When treading water in shallow reef areas, take care not to kick up clouds of sand. Settling sand can easily smother delicate reef organisms.

  Practise and maintain proper buoyancy control. Major damage can be done by divers descending too fast and colliding with the reef.

  Don't collect corals or shells.

  Ensure that you collect all your rubbish and any litter you find as well. Plastics in particular are a serious threat to marine life.

  Resist the temptation to feed fish.

  The best dive operators will require that you adhere to the points above.

  Responsible Hiking & Trekking

  To help preserve the ecology and beauty of Indonesia, consider the following tips when hiking and trekking (good guides will already be following these principles):

  Rubbish

  Carry out all your rubbish. Don't overlook easily forgotten items, such as cigarette butts, and carry out rubbish left by others.

  Never bury your rubbish: it can take years to decompose and digging encourages erosion. Buried rubbish will likely be dug up by animals, which may be injured or poisoned by it.

  Minimise waste by taking minimal packaging and no more food than you will need. Take reusable containers or stuff sacks.

  Sanitary napkins, tampons, condoms and toilet paper should be carried out. They decompose poorly.

  Human Waste Disposal

  Contamination of water sources by human faeces is a major problem. Where there are no toilets, dig a small hole 15cm (6in) deep and at least 100m (320ft) from any watercourse. Cover the waste with soil and a rock.

  Washing

  Don't use detergents or toothpaste in or near watercourses, even if they are biodegradable.

  For personal washing, use biodegradable soap and a water container (or even a lightweight, portable basin) at least 50m (160ft) away from any watercourse.

  Wash cooking utensils 50m (160ft) from watercourses using a scourer instead of detergent.

  Erosion

  Stick to existing tracks.

  If a track passes through a mud patch, walk through the patch so as not to increase its size.

  Avoid removing the plant life that keeps topsoils in place.

  Fires & Low-Impact Cooking

  Don't depend on open fires for cooking. The cutting of wood for fires in popular trekking areas can cause rapid deforestation. Cook on a lightweight kerosene, alcohol or Shellite (white gas) stove and avoid those powered by disposable butane gas canisters.

  Fires may be acceptable below the tree line in areas that get very few visitors. If you light a fire, use an existing fireplace. Use only minimal, dead, fallen wood.

  Ensure that you fully extinguish a fire after use.

  Wildlife Conservation

  Do not engage in or encourage hunting. Indonesia is full of endangered critters, which need all the help they can get to survive.

  Don't buy items made from endangered species.

  Discourage the presence of wildlife by not leaving food scraps behind you.

  Do not feed the wildlife; it can make them dependent on handouts or seriously ill.

  Volunteering

  There are excellent opportunities for aspiring volunteers in Indonesia, but Lonely Planet does not endorse any organisations that we do not work with directly, so it is essential that you do your own thorough research before agreeing to volunteer with or donate to any organisation. A three-month commitment is recommended for working with children.

  For many groups fundraising and cash donations are the best way to help. Some also can use skilled volunteers to work as English teachers and provide professional services such as medical care. A few offer paid volunteering, whereby volunteers pay for room and board and perform often menial tasks.

  A good resource to find NGOs and volunteer opportunities on Bali is www.balispirit.com/ngos.

  Alam Sehat Lestari (www.alamsehatlestari.org/volunteer) Accepts skilled medical and conservation volunteers to help protect and restore Kalimantan's rainforest.

  Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (www.orangutan.or.id) Accepts volunteers for its orangutan and sun bear rehabilitation and reforestation programs.

  East Bali Poverty Project (%0361-410 071; www.eastbalipovertyproject.org) Works to help children in the impoverished mountain villages of east Bali. Uses English teachers.

  Friends of the National Parks Foundation (%0361-977 978; www.fnpf.org) Has volunteer programs on Nusa Penida off Bali and Kalimantan.

  IDEP (Indonesian Development of Education & Permaculture; %0361-294993; www.idepfoundation.org) Has projects across Indonesia; works on environmental projects, disaster planning and community improvement.

  ProFauna (www.profauna.net) A large nonprofit animal-protection organisation operating across Indonesia; has been active in protecting sea turtles.

  Project Hope Sumba (www.projecthopesumba.org) Works on Sumba to improve access to clean water, education, healthcare etc.

  Sea Sanctuaries Trust (www.seasanctuaries.org) Diving-based marine conservation volunteering in Raja Ampat.

  Smile Foundation of Bali Organises surgery to correct facial deformities.

  Yayasan Rama Sesana Dedicated to improving reproductive health for women across Bali.

  Yayasan Bumi Sehat Operates an internationally recognised clinic and gives reproductive services to disadvantaged women in Ubud; accepts donated time from medical professionals. The founder, Robin Lim, has had international recognition.

  International Organisations

  The following agencies may have information about long-term paid or volunteer work in Indonesia:

  Australian Volunteers International (www.australianvolunteers.com) Organises all manner of programs, with many in Indonesia.

  Global Volunteers (www.globalvolunteers.org) Arranges professional and paid volunteer work for US citizens.

  Global Vision International (www.gviusa.com) Organises short-term volunteer opportunities; has offices in Australia, the UK and the US.

  Go Abroad (www.goabroad.com) Lists mostly paid volunteer work.

  Voluntary Service Overseas (www.vso.org.uk) British overseas volunteer program that accepts qualified volunteers from other countries.

  Volunteer Service Abroad (www.vsa.org.nz) Organises professional contracts for New Zealanders.

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  Accommodation

  Accommodation in Indonesia ranges from a basic box with a mattress to the finest five-star luxury resorts. Costs vary considerably across the archipelago, but in general Indonesia is one of the better bargains in Southeast Asia.

  Travellers centres have plenty of reasonably priced food and accommodation. In Bali and other touristed areas like the Gilis, Labuanbajo on Flores, etc, you'll have a wide range of sleeping choices. Options diminish quickly as you get off the beaten track, although lavish resorts, surf camps and idyllic yet modest getaways can be found across the archipelago.

  Accommodation attracts a combined tax and service charge (called 'plus plus') of 21%. In budget places, this is generally included in the price, but check first. Many midrange and top-end places will add it on, which can add substantially to your bill.