Nusa Penida Goes Through Ecological Way Among The Crowd of Accommodation Development
It has been a month since the spreading of a new Corona Virus (COVID-29) epidemic, until it has now declared as a global pandemic. It also has affected all the tourism sectors and their workers in Nusa Penida. The traffic of speedboad is less crowded, car rent business is not as high as before, not to mention other things, since this island has getting more focus to attract tourists’visit. In this tense situation, some local groups start to learn and practice ecological life through many ways. Such as, to re-introduce the potential of agricultural and harmonical living in Nusa Penida Island.
Gede Agustinus Darmawan, or Timbool, is one of local young people who has been actively worked as natural dyeing weaver in Tanglad Village with other weavers. They support the production of natural dyeing from from various plants for weaving fabrics and now, they try to re-plant some rare dyeing material plants. This activity is part of Nusa Penida Ecology GEF-SGP Program, coordinated by Wisnu Foundation. Not only in conventional planting method in weavers’ areas, the Alam Mesari weaver group also tries to plant with seed bomb or seeds bombing method. Throwing the seed ‘bomb’ to cover hard to reach areas as cliff and hills around their hamlet.
Nusa Penida is an island in Klungkung Regency. These three island, Nusa Penida as the biggest, then Lembongan, Ceningan, are getting more famous as the tourism spot in Bali. It takes about 20 – 45 minutes to cross to these three islands, depending on the departure location of the speedboat. For example, from Sanur Beach, Denpasar, takes about 45 minutes to Nusa Penida island, meanwhile, it is faster to go to Lembongan and Ceningan islands.
These seed “bombs”, made on different days, on February 4, 2020, have growing as green beans sprouts. Some are one month some are one weeks old. The growing period of these hundreds of earth balls are different, some have grown to sprouts some are not. Some sprouts in balls have grown faster, watered by rain water. “We spread them in rainy season. The possibility of grow is 50%,”said Timbool. The seed bomb method is used to green up the hard to access areas, to be more speculative. There are 800 seeds put into the seed bombs. In one “bomb” there are about 10-15 seeds, those are pilot plants such as turi (vegetable hummingbird), orok-orok (crotalaria juncea), and gereng-gereng, while for the dyeing plant seed is tarum (indigofera tinctoria). The focus of these seed “bombs”are to fertilize the soil. “The trees create soil layers from their fallen leaves,” explain him. From one thrown“bomb”it is hoped that there are some seeds in it will survive and fill the less productive areas of Nusa Penida Island. Since most of the land are coral reef, the seed “bombs” might be broken after thrown away, that is why, one ball is filled with dozens of seed so the chance of growing will be bigger. The priority areas are the ones of weaver groups, such as hard to reach cliffs, steep areas, and areas with monkey pests. Besides “seeds bombing” method, the conservation is also encouraged by seed planting such as natural dyeing plants, noni, secang, indigo, and tarum. There are some ways to make “seed bomb”. Timbool and his friends first moisten the fertile soil dough, then mixed into compost and clays to strengthen it. The composition is 5:1 of fertile soil and compost, mixed with clay.
In Batumadeg village, IDEP Foundation has developed household garden permaculture, by planting various vegetables such as cucumber and mustard green. IDEP Foundation introduces banana pit, a 1-metre diameter hole with 1-metre depth. This hole functions as waste management, compost making, and garden. The hole is filled with gravels or stones, 50 cm in depth. The low part is for waste water management, the top part is for organic waste. Banana trees are planted around this hole and vegetables are able to be planted between the banana trees. The function of the banana trees is to store water in rainy season and let go of water in dry season.
Taksu Tridatu Foundation has introduced the making of dry food for cow feed. It is made from grass and dry leaves, which are fermentated and added to give nutrition. One of the places to make cow feed with dry food is at the Learning Center Bukit Keker, Banjar Nyuh Kukuh, Ped. We can also see the production of cow dung into biogas and the utilization of sunlight into electricity by solar panel. There is also a garden plot to supply needs of the temple complex, Khayangan Jagat, Puser Sahab Temple in Batumadeg village. Wisanggeni The Wisanggeni Group encourages the temple keeper to green back the surrounding area with various long live trees as shades and also to supply the needs of ceremony rituals.
The increased of tours means the waste will also increase. How is the strategy of waste management in small islands? The waste segregation program has been executed by Bali Environmental Education Centre (PPLH), one of the work program partner of Nusa Penida Ecology Program. Nyuh Kukuh Ped Traditional Village even is awarded by The Regent of Klungkung as an initiator of Waste Bank. Besides encouraging the households to sort out the waste, also providing an integrated waste management (TPST) located in Bukit Keker Learning Center (Rumah Belajar) in Banjar Nyuh Kukuh. A moci, three-wheeled vehicle with a tub, is available there. The PPLH result of a survey for households waste production in Banjar Nyuh shows that about 550 kg waste per day which are suitable for 5 moci. Most of the waste are organic waste, about 60%. PPLH also creates volunteer groups in Nyuh Kedas to manage waste, initiated by waste management trainings (compost, mol, recycled paper). Now there are 7 children actively involved in waste management in Banjar Nyuh, to encourage local people to sort out their waste.
Bali Island relies in its nature and culture, so does Nusa Penida Island. How to synergize the tourism and agriculture as part of people daily lifes? Village Ecotourism Network (JED) is a partnership between Wisnu Foundation and some villages, to offer and develop alternative tourism. Current network is Kiadan Village, Plaga (Badung), Dukuh, Sibetan (Karangasem), Tenganan Pegringsingan (Karangasem), Perancak (Jembrana), and Nyambu (Tabanan). Currently Nusa Penida Ecology Program is initiated in Nusa Penida. The concept is self potential based tourism (nature, human, socio-cultural, infrastucture), managed by local people. The principles are ownership (community as the owner who acknowledge and understand their own potential), management (natural resource management based on togetherness and justice principles), and sustainable (preserving the sanctity through documentation and learning media). The on progress designed tourism packages focuses on local people lifestyle in Nusa Penida, covering dry area agricultural system and food processing, economical resources (seaweed and weaving), art and culture. The Bukit Keker Learning Centre in Ped Village will become guest receptionist also the plot for environmental adaptation through the training of biogas production, permaculture garden, and solar panel as energy resource.
Gede Sugiartha, the Ecology Program Coordinator explains that, Nusa Penida can be a plot for the mangement of natural resource and sustainability of small islands, if people here are back to realize the rich of local knowledge and wisdom, such as dry land agriculture. Through Nusa Penida Ecology Program we hope, slowly, this small island is able to restore and increase its socio cultural-ecology endurance, as the efforts to face globalisation pressures,” said him.
written by: #balebengong