After all this talk of reclamation here lately, wondering what an artificial island would look like in Bali? Look no further than Serangan Island, just on the edge of Benoa.
In the second of three installments promoting a 40-minute documentary on the perils of South Bali’s impending reclamation of Benoa Bay, French filmmaker Gary Bencheghib takes us through the grim reality that is Serangan.
South Bali’s first reclamation in the 90s left us with something of a wasteland, destroying the environment’s coral, mangroves, and turtle population. And instead of bringing us a booming hot spot of hotels and another dynamic tourist area as was promised, there sits empty, unusable land, Bencheghib shows us in his teaser for ‘The Reclamation.’
Could this be Benoa’s future? Sure hope not.
Bencheghib seems to be doing everything he can to preserve the island that he was raised on from age nine.
He’s brought the #forBali campaign international, all the way to NYC and we can see the progress he’s been making at raising awareness as he’s strived to help the activist group dedicated to the cause, forBali. The official petition calling to revoke the permit for the reclamation in Benoa to date is just shy of the 50,000 mark—no small achievement at all.
ICYMI, here’s part one, ‘Bali vs. Mass Development’ which provides a good and quick backgrounder for the reclamation issue:
