During a recent UNESCO session, the World Heritage
Committee expressed worry about the possible environmental and cultural effect
on internationally protected sites in the country, which are endorsed by the
Indonesian government.
The issue of sustainability has long been a top
priority for activists whenever Indonesian officials discuss growth plans, and
based on the comments made in a publicly available document, the World Heritage
Committee appears to be on the same page.
The committee recommended that the government evaluate
existing tourism development initiatives in prominent tourist sites such as
East Nusa Tenggara's (NTT) Komodo National Park and Yogyakarta's Borobudur
Temple.
They also advocated for the closure of the
Trans-Papuan Highway's Habema-Kenyam road due to its potential impacts on the
Lorentz National Park in Papua, including the implementation of proper
mitigation measures, which they claim have not been adequately determined
despite the roads' development in this area.
In Bali, the committee has asked the government to
evaluate the possible consequences of projects centered on regions with subak
(irrigation) systems for rice fields, notably in the Jatiluwih area of Tabanan
regency, “before making any choice that would be difficult to reverse.”
Furthermore, the committee ruled that Sumatra's
Tropical Rainforest Heritage remains on the list of World Heritage in Danger,
citing the property's "continued grave threat from different road
projects." They are demanding Indonesia to halt all new road development
and to block the Namu-Kamo route save for emergency evacuation, among other
things.
With these concerns
brought up at the international stage, will Indonesian officials care to
actually listen?