The Paradise Paradox

Rising civil society organizations and the increasingly strong regional government of Bali need to tackle the so called paradise paradox economic development, fuelled by tourism, threatens to destroy the very marvels tourists have come to admire.

The plastic nightmare

 Anyone who stays in Bali will eventually find a temple, forest path river or beach polluted by plastic waste, such as empty water bottles, bags, snack wrappings, etcTourists are often dismayed to see elegant Balinese in ceremonial attire discarding litter around sacred temple grounds, before harvest time, thousands of plastic strips keep birds away from the ripening grains.

And many municipalities and hotels send their sewage into the ocean, odd the very beaches where their guests play. While tourists turn their noses while swimming among plastic bags, perhaps planning their next holiday elsewhere, Balinese are the first to suffer. Which become a breeding ground for rats. Mosquitoes, and other disease carrying animals. Fisherman search desperately for vanishing eels and fish in polluted rice fields, revers, and oceans. And thousands of Balinese risk loding their jobs when disgruntled tourists shun their dirty shores.