It appears that the times they are a changing for the scattered islands of Indonesia. Nationwide, things seem to be improving on the political front.
Totalitarian governance is out, democratic pluralism is in.
Unfortunately, these conditions mean increased dependence on the natural resource base for survival. Nor will the island of Bali, centrally located within the Indonesian archipelago, go unaffected. Despite a unique and intact cultural identity and a large measure of economic self-sufficiency based on tourism and rice production, the island is particularly susceptible due to the fact that the negative impacts of rapid development directly affect tourism and agriculture both. Bali is facing a growing number of environmental threats. Air pollution from inexpensive but low-grade Indonesian oil and gasoline which has, in the past decade, fuelled a gross congestion of the narrow island roads with innumerable motor vehicles.