Posted on December, 28 2001

Bali, Indonesia - Conservation in Bali Barat National Park (BBNP) recently received a boost when the Friends of the Reef - made up of WWF's Indonesia Wallacea Bioregional Program, the Bali Barat National Park Authorities, AquaPro Bali (a dive company) and the Indonesian Police force, came together to organize a Marine Patrol Training in the National Park.

Participants on the training course included park rangers, park security service officials, and dive masters from Menjangan Jungle and Beach Resort, Mimpi Dive Center, Disthi Kumala Bahari and Waka Shorea. Residents from villages inside the park including Sumber Klampok, Sumber Kima, Pejarakan and Gilimanuk also participated.

Marine patrols are necessary in the waters of the BBNP, because many fishermen in this area use destructive fishing methods including bombs and cyanide. In general however, it is thought that these fishermen are not locals and might even come from as far as Java. Local people see the need to protect their fishing grounds as they are facing increasing difficulties to catch fish because of the damage done to the reefs.

In the past, bombing and cyanide fishing often occurred in the waters of Menjangan Island, but no adequate action was taken to address this problem. The BBNP was established to protect the habitat of the famous Bali Starling, and hence the budget that was allocated to the park was not sufficient to protect the marine area. Regular patrols were almost never undertaken but instead, collaborative operations between the Park Authorities and the Police occurred if a report was made of misconduct.

The main objective of the training was to gather support for Park Authorities by empowering local people, who live and make their living in the park areas. The fundamental of partnership with local people was to include local wisdom of traditional norms in protecting their own heritage. Hence a key idea was to show local people how and when they can protect their rights by taking action against a suspect and bringing them before the appropriate authority.

Subjects covered during the training included fundamentals of BBNP Management, the marine potential of BBNP, Acts and Regulations in the BBNP, patrolling and monitoring, actions and handling of evidence, official reports, survival and search and rescue. Also as part of the training course, the Indonesian Police carried out a simulation.

Participants were divided into two groups; and each took part in a role-play where they chased miscreants, handled evidence and took action. The Police demonstrated how to handle a real bomber by shooting a real gun loaded with an empty bullet. Participants were also warned that suspects sometimes throw bombs at patrol boats. �Keep an eye on the suspect, whether they are holding a bottle and smoking a cigarette. They can suddenly throw the bomb at your boat!� said one of the policemen while giving instructions to the participants.

The Indonesia Police, Gilimanuk Marine Police Unit and the Gerokgak Subdistrict Sector, sent eight of their personals to give the training. The Chief of Gilimanuk Marine Police Unit himself presented the subject of Actions and Handling of Evidence. They were very supportive of this program; they even provided two boats for the simulation. AquaPro covered the Search and Rescue topic. It was a new topic for most of the participants. Many had dealt with people who were drowning on occasion, but during this training learnt how to respond properly.

This participative patrol system is already running well in Tulamben, East Bali. Tulamben is well known as an attractive diving site with a shipwreck of World War II. The people of Tulamben have been protecting their own area for several years now. Another example found in Bali is in Pemuteran, North Bali, where private sectors and local customs have managed to run a patrol, and in coordination with Indonesia Police once managed to bring a bomber to trial. Since the trial, there have been no further reports of bombing in this zone, and reefs are recovering in some areas.

By the end of the training, all participants were pleased with their new skills and enhanced knowledge of their own areas and the regulations that govern them. Ketut Danu, one of the participants who also works for the Mimpi Dive Center enthused �I would support any security or patrol system as I would as well become �pecalang laut� (marine personal)�.

For further info, please contact:
Dewi Satriani, Communication Officer Coral Reef Campaign, WWF Indonesia Wallacea Bioregional Program, email: DSatriani@wallacea.wwf.or.id