IBRC activity for the near future will be centered at Biomedical Laboratory Faculty of Veterinary Udayana University, at Sesetan Street Markisa Alley Denpasar. The IBRC established under cooperation between US government and Indonesia and funded by United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

One of the collaborator and initiator for the development of IBRC in Bali is Prof. Dr. I Gusti Ngurah Mahardika who stated that IBRC would accommodate the research, training, specimen experiment service and species collection.

“IBRC is the magnet to attract Indonesian and international researchers to conduct biodiversity research,” explained Prof. Dr. I Gusti Ngurah Mahardika.

Ngurah Mahardika says that IBRC standpoint is in order to facilitating the foreign research conduct their study here in Indonesia and developing the born of young scientist in Indonesia.

Through the existence IBRC, it is hope that Indonesian biodiversity richness would increasingly explored.

IBRC initiation was marked by the signing of cooperation charter between Udayana University Rector, Papua University Rector, Diponogoro University Rector and delegation from UCLA University of California.

The initiation also followed by molecular approachment symposium studying over Indonesian biodiversity.

News by Berita Bali

Director of Conservation and Biodiversity for Ministry of Forestry, Dr. Harry Santoso in her statement in the middle of International Workshop opening concerning orangutan conservation in Sanur (July 15) said that until today orangutan total number in rehabilitation center all around Indonesia reached 1.200 orangutans.

According to Harry Santoso, reintroduction of orangutan to its natural habitat will conduct gradually through observing the orangutan readiness that will be freed first as well as watching over their food availability at their release site.

“If they are not ready yet, we should not free them. Those who always get their food easily at their rehabilitation site would not get that kind of simplicity in forest, so if that orangutan is not ready yet but we freed them, it’s the same with abandoned them,” said Harry Santoso.

Director of Conservation and Biodiversity for Ministry of Forestry, Dr. Harry Santoso stating his readiness for orangutan gradual release in which the government had prepared the land for this release that is around 106 thousand hectares.

On next one month, orangutan restoration land will be added 86 thousand hectare. Meanwhile, according to the Ministry of Forestry, number of orangutan in Indonesia is estimated around 45 thousands.

News by Berita Bali

Lembaga Dakwah Islam Indonesia (LDII) for Bali Province – Indonesia Islamic Preaching Institution – supported Bali Island program to go clean and green with planting 1.500 mangrove seeds around Sakenan temple of Serangan Village, Denpasar on Sunday. Hundreds of people participated in this greening action, they comes from Serangan Island area itself, LDII people and some public figures from varied elements. Hope for this kind of activity could push people in Bali motivated planting more and more trees so green and clean environment condition in Bali can be realize in near future. Read more about LDII Bali and Mangrove Forest in Bali here.

There is one unique area in Bali that held gangsing game only in certain season. They are coffee farmer in Pujungan village which held gangsing game several weeks before cropping their coffee. This game played almost every day whilst waiting the harvest time.Coincide with the harvest year this year is the school holidays makes the player not only the coffee farmers itself but also kids participate in it. They played it in the morning, at noon, even on night. Read more Traditional Gangsing Game here.

Furthermore, land limitation as a condemnation effect make lots of salt farmer leave their profession. But there are farmers who choose to survive although its number keep decrease. Besides, another reason for them leaving this profession is because capital dependency. The reason is those salt farmers who bought raw salt material willingly or not, they have to spend quite big number of capital fund.

As confessed by I Nyoman Puja (54) that before there are hundreds of salt farmers but nowadays it gradually decreased. Formerly, the land is good, the soil black and not easily get tide. There is also no land condemnation in addition to the small number of salt factory at that time.

“Condition in the past is not as too difficult as today,” said Puja Sembari whilst added that together with several changes make the farmers become lazy make them choose other profession,” said Puja who is one of the oldest salt farmer in Pasanggrahan area.

My old experience was so hard, starting from the land I made with my family without have to spend any cost, looking for firewood with family, all of it done with full sincerity, not like those lazy people who only want simplicity,” said the farmer who has become salt farmer for 20 years.

The most interesting part is, for all along the consumer come directly to the farmer and most of them are people from hotels, regular people up to the merchants in market. Suminto sell his pure salt with per sac selling. Each sac weight for 18 kilogram as one kilogram sold for Rp 35.000 and his every customer has known this price. In one day, Suminto could sell four to five sacks. But still he lack of stock since he had kind of short fund and man power.

Suminto also confessed that in the past, salt making process is more difficult because they have to make it everything from the beginning, starting from sea foam and basking provision,” he said.

In contrast with the past, the farmers nowadays tend to buy raw salt material from Madura. This raw salt then melted to purify it cost two or three hours. After it purified, the salt processed in the processing vessel by boiling it,” said Suminto. The boiling part of that mixing salt cost four to five hours. In the boiling process, Suminto says that the raw material need to be stirred continuously until it boil and issued white foam from originally brown foam.

Suminto says the difference between factory product and traditional product is more refining but lack of salt concentration. And if the color not as white as it should be means that the process less accuracy so that feces is not filtered. Most of them quickly damp.

News by Nusa Bali

“We give a chance for UMKM in Gianyar selling their products. This program also cooperate with Industrial and Trading Affair of Gianyar Government,” said the manager for marketing and communication “Bali Safari and Marine Park”, Astrid W. Iswulandari, in Gianyar, Tuesday.

She propose that for the last three years, Bali Safari locate at Jl. By Pass Ida Bagus Mantra and become the holiday destination for foreign as well as local tourist trying it’s best in giving better appreciation toward every effort conducted by Gianyar people.

“Superior product produced by those craftsmen, we help them to sell it in bale banjar area of Bali Safari. The superior products sell in term of souvenir or Balinese gift. The price around IDR 20.000 up to the expensive ones,” she said.

According to her, the products are those with export quality. Besides in order to develop and open better business opportunities for local craftsmen, this training also aim for the people to introduce Gianyar as one of the craft center in Bali.

Meanwhile, head of Industrial and Trading Affair, Wayan Sumba, says the entrepreneur position watching over local craftsmen is part of good synergy between the government, BUMN – Government-Owned Enterprise – and Entrepreneur toward the development of UMKM.

“We hoped for what had been done by Bali Safari could become quite an example for other entrepreneurs to keep conduct training for craftmen,” he said.

News by Antara Bali

It as has been confessed by Head of Bali Provincial Tourism Agency, Drs. Ida Bagus Kade Subhiksu, M.M., that the arrival of Russian to Bali keep continued to increase rapidly.

It can be seen from the recent data. Number of Russian in January to March 2009 reached 1.456.309 people meanwhile on the same months in 2010 it raised up to 1.386.440 showed significantly 15% escalation.
“Since the Russian escalated come to Bali then we issued 106 special ID card for pointed guides,” explained Subhiksu in his office. Meanwhile, from Association of The Indonesian Tours and Travel Agencies (ASITA) Bali, said that his party is went through difficulty asking for payment from Travel Agency in Russia who always late paid their bill.

“It is true that Russian come to Bali get raise but Travel Agencies in Russia always late paying the fee for Travel Agencies in Bali,” said Al Purwa as head of ASITA Bali. Al Purwa acknowledged that nowadays there are lot of Russian come to Bali so we need guides to explains some tourism objects in Bali, but we still less in number in term of professional quality of work. The reason is due to the difficulties learning Russian language.

News by Nusa Bali