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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.

This policy brief by the Stockholm Environment Institute examines the management of the Bali Province Cultural Landscape, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It focuses on the Subak—traditional farmer organizations managing irrigation—and argues that the site's survival depends on the active, meaningful participation of these farmers and the resolution of socio-economic pressures such as land conversion, water scarcity, and the high cost of rituals.