Buleleng Northern Lights

Selat Villagers Protect Their Forest

The protected forest in Selat Village, Sukasada Sub-District, Buleleng, has a strategic location. From the 250-hecatre forests, one can catch sight of beautiful Lovina Beach. When looking towards the southwest sea in the late afternoon, we can also glimpse the sunset through the gaps in the trees. A lot of foreign tourists visit the forest to see the sunset. In this area there is also the large and impressive Sipalabuh waterfall.

Selat Villagers protect and care for the forest. As well as being a place of interest for tourists, the dense forest also provides the source of the water needed for the many rice fields down from Selat Village.
Who are the Selat villagers that protect their forest? The chief of Selat village, Putu Mangku Budiasa, said that the community had formed a Wana Lestari group that is responsible for supporting and supervising the conservation of the forest. This group protects the forest from illicit timber producers. They also support the forest through planting, for example planting jackfruit and other strong plants.
Mangku Budiasa explains that the villagers of Selat are very concerned and need the forest. If the forest were to become dry and deforested, the water sources would vanish. If that happened, the people would have trouble finding water for drinking, irrigating the rice fields and watering their gardens. (leo)