Environmental Preservation, Local Balinese Knowledge, and Foreign Initiative

ALEXANDRA ZOLKINA, Dr. Zainal Abidin Bagir; Dr. Michael Northcott

2021 | Tesis | MAGISTER AGAMA DAN LINTAS BUDAYA

Pollution in Indonesia, caused by degradable and nondegradable waste such as domestic waste and industrial waste, is giving rise to environmental conditions that harm human health and the ecosystems of Indonesia. Waste management organized by the State does not seem to have successfully reduced the levels of land, river, and marine pollution which is evident from close observation of land and water sources and the marine environment across the Indonesian archipelago. This is particularly evident in the rivers and oceans around the island of Bali in which this thesis is situated. The complete reversal of the drastic pollution problem towards a full eco-friendly lifestyle is a long-term plan for Bali. However, there are many ways of advancing this plan. Since Indonesian society is very religious, and Balinese people may be said to have ecological knowledge from Hinduism and other religious philosophies, this thesis investigates the potential of religiosity/spirituality for promoting environmental care in Bali. There are two main parts of this research. The first part investigates the extent to which organizations and individual initiatives of local Balinese use religious knowledge in environmental initiatives. The second part investigates the role of religious and ecological knowledge in conservation projects jointly managed by Balinese and foreigners in the tourist industry. The research outcomes indicate that religious inputs in environmental matters in Bali have the potential to motivate or undergird nature preservation among individuals and in community settings in Bali.

Pollution in Indonesia, caused by degradable and nondegradable waste such as domestic waste and industrial waste, is giving rise to environmental conditions that harm human health and the ecosystems of Indonesia. Waste management organized by the State does not seem to have successfully reduced the levels of land, river, and marine pollution which is evident from close observation of land and water sources and the marine environment across the Indonesian archipelago. This is particularly evident in the rivers and oceans around the island of Bali in which this thesis is situated. The complete reversal of the drastic pollution problem towards a full eco-friendly lifestyle is a long-term plan for Bali. However, there are many ways of advancing this plan. Since Indonesian society is very religious, and Balinese people may be said to have ecological knowledge from Hinduism and other religious philosophies, this thesis investigates the potential of religiosity/spirituality for promoting environmental care in Bali. There are two main parts of this research. The first part investigates the extent to which organizations and individual initiatives of local Balinese use religious knowledge in environmental initiatives. The second part investigates the role of religious and ecological knowledge in conservation projects jointly managed by Balinese and foreigners in the tourist industry. The research outcomes indicate that religious inputs in environmental matters in Bali have the potential to motivate or undergird nature preservation among individuals and in community settings in Bali.

Kata Kunci : Bali, local wisdom, community, religiosity, water pollution, ocean preservation, eco-tourism.