Land Conversion Versus Subak : How Bali’s Face Gradually Changing Throughout History

Abstract

Land conversion occurs globally as a result of population dynamics, infrastructure and agricultural expansions, as occurring in the island of God, Bali. Apparently, the land shifting phenomenon in Bali is not as simple as it sounds. It creates a complicated situation in which detrimental to the environment that subsequently affects the socio-cultural aspect in the long run. albeit Balinese rice field, with its Subak System, received UNESCO World Heritage title. The title seems unable to halt the conversion entirely. High demand and limited supply of land in Bali are resulting in skyrocketing price of the estate that slowly pushes the community to liquidate their essential asset. Every year, the horticultural industry is shrinking bit by bit and transforming into real estate. Once an area is transmuted into a residential property or tourism destination, its neighbourhood would be most likely to experience a similar way. As the land composition is changing, migration would follow and boost the conversion process. Though Government is strictly regulating about land conversion through Law Number 41 of 2009 and Law Number 26 of 2007, yet society consciousness plays a vital role to determine whether Bali ricefield with its Subak would survive in the future.

Investigation on Impact of Changes in Land Cover Patterns on Surface Runoff in Ayung Watershed, Bali, Indonesia Using Geographic Information System

“…The highest average decrease occurred in the farmland (-0.34%) followed by forests (-0.29%), and the highest average increase occurred in grassland (0.36%) followed by settlement (0.26%). This is in accordance with some reported trends of the land cover changes in Bali, where there was a decrease in farmlands and an increase grasslands (As-syakur, 2011;Adnyawati, 2019).…”

“…Bali is an international tourist destination that had been growing gradually until the COVID-19 pandemic hit at the beginning of 2020. The number of international tourists visiting Bali increased from 3.3 million in 2013 to 5.7 million in 2017 and 6.3 million in 2019 (Directory, 2020;Woods, 2020) with an average of 4.62 million people/year from 2012-2019(BPS, 2021a. This number exceeded the total population in Bali, which was 4.34 million in 2019 (BPS, 2021b).…”

Acculturation of Indian and Chinese Cultures on Pis Bolong Bali

“…Today, Subak is known as a traditional agricultural system from Bali that UNESCO has acknowledged. 5 Balinese people live their life in a socio-religious society. They value culture, customs, and traditions as identity, thus inseparable from their life.…”

Refleksi Nilai Kearifan Lokal Masyarakat Hindu Bali Dalam Pengelolaan Lingkungan

“…Tingkat alih fungsi lahan di Bali cukup tinggi setiap tahunnya, rata-rata mencapai 600 Hektar, dan yang menjadi "korban utama" adalah lahan pertanian produktif (Wiratmini, 2019). Keberadaan subak sebagai salah satu budaya pertanian di Balipun turut terancam kelestariannya (Adnyawati, 2019). Selain itu, pembangunan hotel dan villa yang tidak terkontrol juga berkontribusi terhadap terjadinya krisis air di Bali.…”