indonesia: privatization of national
parks
The
Indonesian Government claims it cannot
finance the proper management of its
protected areas and is privatizing park
management instead. The World Bank and
other international financial institutions
support the Indonesian Government’s agenda
and are helping to establish
‘public-private’ partnerships. Such schemes
have led to the partial privatization of
parks like Komodo, Bukit Baka Raya, Bunaken
and Wakatobi.
In spite of the continuing involvement
of the national Park Authority (PHKA) the
companies exert considerable influence over
the way in which the parks are managed.
Many are ecotourism companies, with an
obvious interest in promoting tourism.
Typically, communities are expelled from
their traditional territories and even
those living in core and border zones may
be forced to move away. Some become
conservation refugees, moving to the
cities. Losing access to traditional lands
can also mean that communities are obliged
to find new ways of subsisting, although
some management companies do attempt to
provide alternative incomegenerating
activities. There have also been cases of
biopiracy, with companies selling or
passing on traditional knowledge and
genetic information to the pharmaceutical
industry.
Members of WALHI/FoE-Indonesia are
working with affected communities to
reclaim their rights to these
resources.
komodo national
park
The management of Komodo National Park,
an Indonesian National park with UNESCO
World Heritage Site and Biosphere Reserve
status, has been effectively privatised
since 1995. The Nature Conservancy (TNC), a
USbased non-profit transnational
institution, was invited to manage the park
by the national Park Authority (PHKA). Its
‘collaborative management concept’ focused
on establishing eco-tourism with local
companies in order to make the park
financially self-sustaining. However, local
communities are another matter: they have
been banned from their traditional areas as
entrance to park territories requires an
entrance licence and no exceptions are
permitted. The local fishing practices of
thousands have also been severely
disturbed. The ecotourism company
jointly-owned by The Nature Conservancy has
a 30-year concession from 2004, and is
co-funded by the World Bank to the tune of
US$ 5 million.
more information
Walhi/Friends of the Earth
Indonesia
