Indonesia and World Tourism News

State Honors for Director of Bali Safari and Marine Park Jansen Manansang Lauded for Commitment to Wildlife and His Contribution to the Island of Bali

Although not from Bali, he is a man who feels a tremendous love of Balinese culture. Drs. Jansen Manansang recently told the Jawa Post that his heart ached following two bombing attacks on Bali in 2002 and 2005. And, while many business people closed their businesses in response to those attacks, he swam against the current investing heavily to open the Bali Safari and Marine Park in the Gianyar district of Bali.

Building the massive nature park in the uncertain times of a Balinese economy struggling to regain its footing, Jansen, who is a Director of Taman Safari Indonesia, stayed the course, determined to help the Island he loved rebuild. “We built the Bali Safari and Marine Park in Gianyar not just to bring tourists to Bali, but we also wanted to help develop a vibrant local economy,” explained the man who now employs more than 400 people at his Bali Park.

In recognition of his wildlife parks in West Java, East Java and Bali and his continuing commitment to the Republic, Jansen Manansang was singled out for national honors, receiving the prestigious Bintang Jasa Utama presented by President Yudhoyono on August 14, 2008 in Jakarta.

Manansang and his extended family’s commitment to the environment and to endangered species has prompted them to establish the Bali Safari and Marine Park where he is now starting a breeding program for the highly endangered Bali Starling.

Praised and acknowledged for his expertise by his colleagues working internationally in the zoo sector, Jansen now serves as the President of the Southeast Asia Zoo Association. In charge of three zoos, heading a regional professional association and now the recipient of national honors – Jansen Manansang is not content to rest on his laurels. Determined to make Bali the tourism gateway of Indonesia, he has announced his intention to host an Asia-wide zoo conference in Bali in 2009.

Articles and images are copyright of Bali Discovery Tours
Source: http://www.balidiscovery.com

Add comment September 8th, 2008

Orangutan under threat of extinction in Indonesia

JAKARTA, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) — The population of Orangutans in Kalimantan or Borneo Island of Indonesia remained under threat of extinction, despite claims by palm oil firms of applying eco-friendly work practices, according to a newspaper here Saturday.

    Deforestation for palm oil plantation was blamed for the killing the protected apes, particularly those living outside conservation areas, said Novi Hardianto, the habitat program manager of the Center for Orangutan Protection (COP).

    ”The forest is continuously being cleared and orangutans are killed every year. It’s ironic,” he was quoted by the Jakarta Postas saying.

    The manager said a recent investigation by the group show that two palm oil firms in Central Kalimantan, both of them members of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), endangered orangutan populations with their clear-cutting.

    RSPO spokeswoman Desi Kusmadewi denied the accusation, saying the RSPO sought to improve environmental practices within the palmoil industry.

    The province is home to the country’s largest orangutan population. In 2004, there were 31,300 orangutans but the figure was declining by 9 percent each year, with the current population at 20,032, the COP estimated.

Source: http://news.xinhuanet.com

Add comment September 8th, 2008