Belated win for coastal protection in Spain

Environmentalists have won a decade-long battle to halt construction of a mega-hotel in one of Spain's largest coastal protected areas. However, the conflict between tourism and conservation is far from over.

Deutsche Welle, 24 February 2016

El Algarrobico has been for a decade one of the most controversial buildings in Spain

It was a clear win for environmentalists when Spain's highest court ruled the construction of a mega-hotel 'illegal'.

Just 14 meters away from El Algarrobico, a pristine beach of Cabo de Gata in southern Spain, the hotel - with its 21 floors and 411 bedrooms - stands vacant.

Its construction in the province of Almeria was dubbed one of Spain's biggest environmental scandals.

The Spanish Supreme Court recently declared the area environmentally protected and has banned construction. Environmentalists have hailed the decision a great success. But, the victory may have come a bit late.

A decade of confusion

"The countdown for the demolition of the Algarrobico's hotel has finally started," said Andalusian environment minister José Fiscal.

His triumphant announcement comes after years of backtracking and legal ambiguity with many locals holding the regional government responsible for the whole fiasco.

It all began in the 1980s, when construction of the hotel was first licensed. Then, the coastal area was not protected. But by the time construction began in 2003, that had changed and building was prohibited.

The hotel is located in a protected area within the natural park, Cabo de Gata

It wasn’t until 2006 that a local court first ordered an immediate halt to building. But the national environment ministry and the regional government of Andalusia failed to react to the ruling.

Then in 2012, the high court of Andalusia declared the hotel illegal and called for its demolition. But two years later, the court reversed its decision. The hotel was legal and building free to restart.

Now, 10 years after works were halted, Spain's Supreme Court has finally given the green light for its demolition.

The price of the victory

Tearing down the huge edifice will cost an estimated 7 million euros. The national and local government are to split the bill.

There is also the outstanding question of compensation for the hotel’s owners – who are demanding around 70 million euros.

Locals feel they too have lost out financially.

While environmental groups have long fought the hotel, it has always had majority support in the area – mainly for economic reasons.

"Once it was already constructed, it would have been best to make use of it," said Salvador Hernández, mayor of the nearby village of Carboneras.

Hernández argues the hotel would have brought much needed jobs to the village. "Instead, the people – through taxes – will pay for its demolition, and the consequences," he told DW.

Hernández believes the local community has emerged the biggest loser from a debacle that put Carboneras on the map for all the wrong reasons.

"Our village may be outstanding for many reasons, but our image has been destroyed by this scandal," he lamented.

The natural park Cabo de Gata is the largest coastal protected area in Andalusia

An uncertain future

And the construction that has loomed over Algarrobico for more than a decade will not disappear overnight.

The demolition is expected to produce around 60,000 cubic meters of waste, of which at least 40,000 cubic meters must removed and dumped. The remainder is to be used in the area’s recovery

Greenpeace at least sees an upside to this logistical challenge.

"The demolition work would bring around 400 new jobs," said Pilar Marcos, head of Greenpeace Spain’s coastal campaign.

"98% of the materials could be recycled. Moreover, it represents a new opportunity for sustainable tourism."

What the beach will look like once the process is over remains an open question. Whether it will be restored to its natural state – or become the site for new tourism services has yet to be decided.

Massive tourism is visible all along the Spanish coast

Tourism threatens conservation

According to WWF, tourism is one of the main causes for biodiversity loss in the Mediterranean region. Sea beds, coastal landscapes and marine dynamics are all at risk.

Spain is one of the world’s best-loved tourist destinations. In 2014, it was ranked third in the world for numbers of foreign tourists by the United Nations Tourism Organization.

But threats to environment from tourism are a problem the world over, with Mexico, China, Ecuador, Indonesia and Nepal just a few of countries where vacationers put the landscapes they come to enjoy at risk.

Bolivia, Peru sign $500 mn deal for Lake Titicaca clean-up

Yahoo – AFP, January 8, 2016

Lake Titicaca, which is the highest in the world, at an altitude of 3,800 meters
(12,470 feet) above sea level, provides a habitat for a number of frogs, birds
and fish, including two species that have almost been wiped out (AFP Photo
/Aizar Raldes)

La Paz (AFP) - Bolivia and Peru agreed to provide more than $500 million towards cleaning up Lake Titicaca, whose polluted waters are home to some animals nearing extinction, a Bolivian environment official said.

The deal, which is meant to improve the lake's biodiversity, includes environmental management and recovery through to 2025.

Lake Titicaca, which is the highest in the world, at an altitude of 3,800 meters (12,470 feet) above sea level, provides a habitat for a number of frogs, birds and fish, including two species that have almost been wiped out.

Bolivia's Environment and Water Minister Alexandra Moreira and her Peruvian counterpart Manuel Pulgar signed the agreement during a public event.

"For the short term we have a limit of $117 million and for the long term $400 million," said Moreira's advisor Sergio Arispe.

“It's a logistical matter we are trying to manage through 2025," he said.

Part of the waste in the lake is generated by the Bolivian city of El Alto, near La Paz, which is home to about 800,000 people.

Peru's minister stressed that the two countries are "already taking concrete actions such as investing in water treatment plants to address the main problems the lake is facing."

Jakarta sinking fast in wake of construction boom

Hans David Tampubolon, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Mon, 02/07/2011

A recent study concluded that land subsidence in Jakarta accelerated at an alarming pace in the past four decades, and if no remedial measures were taken, the northern part of the city could sink below sea level in the next decade.

Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) researcher Heri Andreas said the persistent inundation of North Jakarta would only get worse in the future.

“Several areas in the northern coastal region of Jakarta will subside by 60 centimeters by 2020. In 2050, the area could sit 2.2 meters lower than in 2008,” said Heri, who is also a member of the Jakarta Coast Defense Strategy (JCDS).

Heri predicted that if no action was taken to mitigate land subsidence, flooding and high tides would contribute to 5,100 hectares of land in North Jakarta being submerged in 2020 and another 6,000 hectares in 2050.

A worst-case scenario, however, put the figures at 16,200 hectares in 2020 and 18,100 hectares in 2050.

“In this scenario, the northern coast of Jakarta could be 2 meters under water by 2020 and 6.9 meters under water by 2050,” Heri said.

Global sea levels have risen at a rate of about 1 to 2 millimeters per year on average, and this rate is expected to increase to 5 millimeters per year by 2050.

A recent study by ITB showed that the sea level in the Jakarta northern coastal region rose at a rate of 5.7 millimeters per year.

The most recent finding by the JCDS showed that around 40 percent of land in Jakarta was already below sea level.

Given the finding, the JCDS predicted that within between the next 10 to 20 years, 50 percent of the city would lie below sea level.

The JCDS data also showed that between 1974 and 2010, the Muara Karang area in North Jakarta had sunk 4.1 meters. West Cengkareng in Tangerang had sunk 2.5 meters in the same period.

The Daan Mogot area in West Jakarta and Ancol in North Jakarta sank 1.97 meters and 1.88 meters respectively in the same period.

Between 1974 and 1982, land subsidence rates were not as significant as today. The problem became worse after the region saw a construction boom in property and industry.

A number of dikes constructed by the city, including in Muara Angke, Muara Karang, Pluit, Cilincing and Marunda, are no longer capable of holding back the water that has increased rates of land subsidence.

Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo recently admitted that the city was sinking at an alarming rate.

“We have no other choice but to construct a new embankment in Jakarta Bay,” Fauzi said.

He said the city needed a giant seawall to protect the capital from flooding, but added that construction could only begin in 2025.

The construction of the seawall is a joint project run by the city administration and the JCDS, which is funded by the Dutch government.

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Lampung prepares groundwork to invite investors

Oyos Saroso H.N. , The Jakarta Post , Bandarlampung | Sat, 11/28/2009 1:07 PM

The Lampung provincial administration is formulating regulations in response to anticipated consequences from the construction of the Sunda Strait bridge (JSS) after the central government took over the endeavor as a national project.

The regulations, in the form of local ordinances, will focus on investment and development in Lampung with a view to protecting the community from any negative impacts resulting from the bridge's presence or operation.

"Without regulations, money would rapidly flow out of the province because people in Lampung could easily go to Jakarta to shop and spend their money. Also, industries that are very lax or not concerned with environmental safety could invest or move their operations to Lampung if adequate regulations were not in place," Lampung Governor Sjachroedin Z.P. said.

Sjachroedin expressed hope the JSS, connecting the islands of Java and Sumatra, would be completed quickly.

"We don't want to be lose out to the bridge connecting Dumai in Riau with Malaysia," he said.

Sjachroedin said he was pleased by the central government's positive stance on the proposal - formed by the Lampung and Banten provincial administrations and governors from across Sumatra - to build the bridge.

"We are rather impatient because studies of a planned Java-Sumatra bridge have been conducted since the 1980s. Had the central government refused to assist, we *the Banten governor and governors from across Sumatra* would have built the JSS ourselves. We would have invited investors and managed it together with the Banten provincial administration," Sjachroedin said.

Prior to discussions at the national level, he added governors of eight provinces in Sumatra and the Banten governor had discussed the plan and the project's potentially huge benefits.

According to Sjachroedin, PT Artha Graha had conducted the project's feasibility studies.

"We invite the central government to conduct another study should they wish to do so," he said.

"The social disparity between Lampung and Banten provinces can certainly be reduced if the JSS project is realized," he added.

"The JSS, which is planned to have a height of 70 meters with a span of 30.4 meters, is designed to be able to withstand earthquakes and tsunamis. We are aware of the presence of the active Mount Anak Krakatau in the Sunda Strait which is prone to eruption and could trigger a tsunami," Sjachroedin said.

The JSS project has also highlighted possible impacts on the Archipelagic Sea Lanes of Indonesia (ALKI), which organizes marine navigation. The deepest sea gap included in the ALKI is located between Sangiang and Prajurit islands spanning 3.5 kilometers. According to the JSS plan, two of the bridge's support pillars will be built on each island.

The cost of the JSS project is estimated at Rp 92 trillion (US$9.79 billion), which will be divided into two phases. The first phase, costing Rp 1.8 trillion, would cover the feasibility studies and engineering costs, while the second phase would be the construction, costing Rp 90.2 trillion. The project has an estimated time to completion period of between six and 10 years.

At the end of October, Coordinating Economic Minister Hatta Radjasa said Indonesia would prioritize the development of domestic infrastructure, including the completion of the JSS.

Hatta added that the government would look to develop local economies through the JSS project. He said the recent focus on the JSS project was also aimed at preventing commodities in Sumatra from being sent to Malaysia and to create better connections between Java and Sumatra.

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Students get lesson on water conservation in city rivers

Triwik Kurniasari, THE JAKARTA POST, JAKARTA | Sun, 03/22/2009 9:27 AM

As World Water Day falls on Sunday, dozens of high school students paid a visit to Muara Angke River in North Jakarta on Saturday, only to find a murky river filled with the flotsam and jetsam of garbage.

The students got into the fishermen’s boats to sail along the river, which is a meeting point of 13 rivers in the city.

Hannita Andriani, 16, was stunned when she spotted a woman taking the river’s water to brush her teeth and take a shower.

“Oh my gosh, how could the woman brush her teeth with such dirty water? It’s not healthy,” Hannita exclaimed.

“Look, she does not seem to worry about using the water. She does not even care about her health,” said the student from high school SMA 36 in Rawamangun, East Jakarta.

She was more surprised when she found out that residents in the area, who mostly worked as fishermen, used the heavily polluted water to clean mussels and fish they had just caught from the river.

“That’s not right. Cleaning the mussels and fish with polluted water will harm people who consume them,” she said.

Hannita was one of 50 students who visited Muara Angke Wildlife Reserve in an event called the Love Water Camp (Kemah Cinta Air) held by PT Coca Cola Indonesia.

The two-day event, from Saturday until Sunday, was held in conjunction with World Water Day.

The program was aimed at raising students’ awareness on the importance of saving and preserving water, as well as keeping the environment clean, said the company’s director of corporate affairs.

World Water Day is an initiative introduced in 1992 by the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

As well as a brief tour of Muara Angke, the students also visited Manggarai sluice gate in South Jakarta and Katulampa sluice gate in Bogor, West Java.

The students took river water samples from the three locations, measured their acidity and compared them.

A participant, Kurniati, said the trip taught her many lessons.

“It made me appreciate water and want to conserve it. I learned it is very important to always dispose of trash appropriately so it won’t pollute the environment,” said the 16—year—old student.

“I hope the city administration can do something about the water pollution. They, for example, could provide more cranes to remove the garbage clogging the Manggarai sluice gate,” she said.

Another participant, Ari Febriawan, agreed.

“Water is the most important natural resource for humans. What can we do without clean water?” Ari said.

“I always try to save water in my daily life, like turning off the tap after using it, and I try to keep the environment clean. I hope all people can do the same,” he said.

On Sunday, the students will do environmentally friendly activities at Gunung Geulis Adventure Camp in Bogor, such as planting trees and exploring the lake.