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The document examines the challenges facing the subaks of Bali—traditional farmers' organizations managing irrigation and water temples—following the 2012 UNESCO World Heritage Site inscription. It highlights a disconnect between the initial nomination vision and the actual implementation, which has been hindered by bureaucratic hurdles and the exclusion of key local stakeholders. The brief identifies critical threats to the landscape's viability, including the high cost of rituals, water scarcity, land conversion driven by high taxes, and a shift toward intensive farming. It argues that the existing democratic governance of the subaks, exemplified by the Forum Pekaseh Catur Angga Batukaru, provides a foundation for a successful farmer-led management system. The author recommends implementing the UNESCO-approved management plan, establishing a comprehensive regency-level management body, and meaningfully engaging subak leaders to ensure the long-term preservation of the living cultural landscape.

The document examines the struggle to implement a participatory management system for Bali's UNESCO World Heritage cultural landscape. It highlights that while the Subak (traditional farmer organisations) possess the democratic organisational capacity to manage the land, they face existential threats from high ritual costs, water scarcity, land conversion, and a lack of youth interest in farming. The brief argues that successful preservation requires moving away from top-down bureaucracy toward a model that actively integrates Subak leadership and addresses the economic viability of traditional organic farming.

The report examines the implementation of the UNESCO World Heritage Site designation in Bali, focusing on the Catur Angga Batukaru (CAB) region. It identifies significant governance gaps, where initial top-down structures failed to include key stakeholders like the subak farmers, leading to the creation of a more inclusive Coordination Forum in 2014. The document details existential threats to the subak system, including rising ritual costs, high land taxes driving land conversion, water scarcity due to tourism priority, and a declining interest in farming among the youth. It argues that the long-term viability of the landscape depends on empowering farmers through a regency-level management body and community-based monitoring aligned with the Tri Hita Karana philosophy.