In response to increased productivity, increased population growth and decreased availability of land Java introduced the transmigration program in the late 1980's. The village is expected to be self-sufficient within five years. While the transmigration program provides a careful detailed plan of action for solutions to the overpopulated area, development in Java has been at a high cost to the environment. It is important to note that none of these water treatment plants are required to be built on Bali, the second most densely populated region of Indonesia, because of Bali's sustainable development and management of it's water resources. Bali is a model example of sustainable development.
Sustainable development is the primary goal of the government of Indonesia.
Bali achieved sustainable development because, due to it's small size, Bali quickly recognised the damage that intensified agriculture was causing to it's fragile ecosystem when development exceeded carrying capacity resulting in ecological crisis. In contrast, Java did not recognise the environmental degradation that was being caused by intensified agriculture because the larger land area facilitated continued growth until Java reached it's present state of ecological degradation. Indonesia can learn from it's own mistakes in Java, from our mistakes in the western industrialised nations and most importantly from hope generated at the global conference, Earth Summit '92. One has to only look at the small garden isle of Bali to realised that sustainable development is possible, both for Bali and the small isle of Earth floating in the heavens of our universe. Works Cited Barth, Fredrik.