Managing a living cultural landscape: lessons and insights from the subaks of Bali, a UNESCO World Heritage Site

This policy brief examines the management of the Bali Cultural Landscape, a UNESCO World Heritage Site centered on the subaks—traditional farmers' organizations that manage irrigation and water temples. The document highlights the tension between preserving centuries-old cultural practices and the pressures of rapid socio-economic change, tourism, and bureaucratic hurdles in Indonesia. It focuses specifically on the Catur Angga Batukaru (CAB) region, arguing that the long-term viability of the site depends on meaningful, farmer-led governance and addressing existential threats such as water scarcity, high land taxes, and the declining interest of youth in farming.

• The subak system, dating back to at least the 12th century, is based on the philosophy of Tri Hita Karana, which emphasizes harmony between humans, nature, and the spiritual realm. These organizations manage irrigation, perform rituals, and ensure equitable water distribution across approximately 1,200 subaks in Bali.
• Initial management of the World Heritage Site was hindered by a disconnect between the nomination team and the implementation body. The original Governing Assembly (Dewan Pengelola) was viewed as a top-down entity and excluded critical stakeholders, including the king of Tabanan, the high priest of Batukaru, and the pekasehs of the Catur Angga Batukaru (CAB).
• Subaks face severe economic and cultural pressures, including the high cost of rituals—which were estimated in the 1980s to account for 60% of a subak's expenditures—and high land taxes that encourage farmers to sell their land. In Pura Luhur Batukaru, five annual major rituals cost at least 40 million IDR.
• Agricultural practices are shifting from traditional local rice (padi lokal) to new varieties (padi baru) because the latter has a shorter growing season of three months and requires fewer expensive rituals. Farmers are willing to return to organic padi lokal cultivation only if they receive technical guidance and financial offsets for reduced yields.
• The landscape is threatened by water scarcity and land conversion, exacerbated by the preferential treatment of the tourism sector in water allocation. Additionally, a generational shift is occurring as young people prefer jobs in tourism over farming, leaving agriculture to an aging population.
• Tourism is a double-edged sword for the region; while it contributes nearly 30% of Bali's GDP as of 2013, it increases traffic, garbage, and water demand. In the CAB, there is discontent because infrastructure improvements have been concentrated in Jatiluwih via a local management body that excludes the subaks.
• The document recommends implementing the UNESCO-approved management plan, establishing a regency-wide management body (badan pengelola) for Tabanan, and meaningfully engaging the Forum Pekaseh to create a subak-based monitoring system.

APA

Davis, M. (2015). Managing a living cultural landscape: lessons and insights from the subaks of Bali, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-PB-2015-Bali-cultural-landscape.pdf

Chicago

Davis, Marion. Managing a living cultural landscape: lessons and insights from the subaks of Bali, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2015. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-PB-2015-Bali-cultural-landscape.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Davis |first1=Marion |title=Managing a living cultural landscape: lessons and insights from the subaks of Bali, a UNESCO World Heritage Site |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=2015 |url=https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-PB-2015-Bali-cultural-landscape.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{davis2015managing, author = {Davis, Marion}, title = {{Managing a living cultural landscape: lessons and insights from the subaks of Bali, a UNESCO World Heritage Site}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2015}, url = {https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-PB-2015-Bali-cultural-landscape.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }