When it comes to diving in Indonesia, from the beginner-friendly Tulamben and Nusa Pedida to the remote Raja Ampat, Indonesia — sitting at the heart of the Coral Triangle — is undeniably one of the world's top dive destinations. Yet Indonesia is simultaneously the second-largest contributor of marine debris on the planet. With an underdeveloped waste management system and rampant overtourism, how can this treasured place be protected?
The third edition of Bali Ocean Days wrapped up successfully in late January 2026. Over two days and six thematic sessions, the event placed Bali at its center and brought together governments, businesses, and non-profit organizations to explore pressing challenges and potential solutions.
If a few keywords were to sum up this year's conference, they would be "regeneration," "local engagement," and "Gen Z." Because conservation efforts in Bali are largely led by foreigners — both in practical action and at the conference table — how to increase local participation emerged as a major talking point.
In addition, 27% of Indonesia's population belongs to Gen Z, making the question of how to encourage their involvement a key strategic consideration for the long-term sustainability of conservation action.
During the conference, chatting with Gen Z youth nurtured by non-profit organization The Sea People — young people who participate in coral restoration work and serve as dive guides in Raja Ampat.
Island Nations on the Front Lines of Climate Change: How to Balance Economic Development and Environmental Conservation?
Like Indonesia, the Seychelles in Africa faces rising sea levels, coastal erosion, coral bleaching, and ocean acidification. The Seychelles and Bali share a particularly relevant parallel: both are heavily dependent on international tourism, making the management of that balance between tourism and the environment a major challenge.
Indonesia's Ministry of Tourism also explained that, in order to address Bali's overtourism problem, the government intends to shift its travel strategy from "Quantity to Quality." The Seychelles, meanwhile, shared how its Tourism Environmental Sustainability Levy (TESL) internalizes the external costs of tourism — sharing the environmental impact of travel between the industry and visitors themselves. The levy is charged per night based on accommodation category; the more upscale the hotel, the higher the tax.
Indonesia's Deputy Minister of Tourism Ni Luh Puspa shares the Indonesian government's plans for sustainable marine tourism.
Putting Sustainable Tourism into Practice: Biosphere Reserves Where Environment and Economy Coexist
Ocean Gardener founder Chalias raised a question worth reflecting on: what exactly is sustainable tourism? For instance, have we ever verified that wastewater generated at a tourism destination is properly treated, rather than discharged directly into rivers and ultimately into the sea? Only when sustainable tourism establishes a set of universally recognized and verifiable rules does it stand a real chance of becoming genuinely eco-friendly — rather than remaining a mere slogan.
Under the UNESCO concept of Biosphere Reserves, the key lies in finding a balance between people and nature: protecting the environment while allowing human communities to continue living and developing within it. This framework is human-centered, responsive to local development needs, and seeks to advance the blue economy while ensuring natural resources can be sustained over the long term.
Taking Bali as an example, the local economy is highly dependent on tourism. Beyond developing sustainable tourism, it is equally important to strengthen waste management and infrastructure in tandem — reducing the environmental costs that tourism activity incurs, so that tourism and the environment can coexist rather than deplete each other.
Environmental Education: From Dive Shops to Divers
Indonesia attracts tens of thousands of divers every year. Managing diving behavior and commercial operations is critical to protecting local coral reefs. The Green Fins program, jointly promoted by The Reef-World Foundation and the UN Environment Programme, was created specifically to help the dive industry reduce its impact on coral reefs and build a more sustainable model of diving. Under this initiative, Green Fins has developed 15 codes of conduct governing diver behavior underwater. According to program data, divers make contact with coral an average of 5.79 times per dive — which is why the program also offers courses to help divers and dive instructors improve their environmental awareness and in-water skills.
Beyond divers themselves, Green Fins also provides concrete operational guidance for dive shops, covering anchoring practices, waste management, and environmental education — establishing a comprehensive set of operating principles that span logistics management through to actual dive activities. Through these measures, Green Fins helps dive shops deliver memorable diving experiences while collectively safeguarding the fragile and precious coral ecosystem.
After Protection: New Survival Challenges for Endangered Species
Nusa Penida, off the coast of Bali, is one of the few places in the world where manta rays can be observed with high reliability, making Manta Point an extremely popular destination. Although the Indonesian government has fully protected manta rays since 2014 — prohibiting their capture and trade — the pressure brought by surging visitor numbers has itself become a new challenge. Research shows that the number of boats heading to Manta Point has increased dramatically, averaging 28 vessels per trip in 2025, double the figure recorded in 2017. As diving activity intensifies, the daily behavior and movement patterns of manta rays are being disrupted, leading to shorter stays and altered movement routes.
Furthermore, some unregulated tourism operators lack clear guidelines on vessel operation and viewing distances, causing injury to manta rays during transit and potentially forcing them to abandon their established cleaning stations. As tourism increasingly becomes the primary economic driver, how to maintain tourism revenue while reducing pressure on manta rays is already a challenge facing local authorities — one that concerns not only the survival of the manta rays themselves, but also whether this stretch of ocean can preserve its unique ecological value into the future.
According to the Marine Megafauna Foundation, Manta Point has successfully drawn large numbers of tourists, but this has given rise to new challenges, including overcrowded boats, disturbances caused by tourist behavior, and a lack of regulation development and enforcement.
Landfills: Another Hidden Threat to Marine Ecosystems
While the conference largely focused on environmental issues stemming from international tourism, Bali's waste management system is itself a serious environmental concern. With no comprehensive recycling infrastructure in place, local communities frequently dump waste into rivers or burn it on-site — the smell of burning plastic is a common presence on the streets. This waste then travels downstream into the ocean, becoming marine pollution.
At the same time, the Suwung landfill near the airport is being discussed as a candidate for closure. As Bali's largest landfill, it has caused severe environmental contamination due to unsorted, direct-dumping practices — particularly concerning given that it sits directly adjacent to one of Bali's largest mangrove areas. The site has also reached its capacity limit. With no ideal alternative solution yet in sight, the planned closure date has been pushed back from late 2025 to 2026.
Is There a Cure for Overtourism? Does a Perfect Solution Exist?
During the rainy season, on Bali's Jimbaran Beach, marine debris washed in from rivers, left by visitors, and carried in along ocean currents is constantly being pushed ashore. Along the narrow stretch of coastline lined with restaurants, the beach is tidied up and tourists sit on the sand, enjoying a meal while watching the sunset. Walk 200 meters further on, beyond the restaurant zone, and marine debris piles up on the beach. Two local fishermen cast their nets near the water's edge — half an hour of effort yields three small fish and more rubbish than catch. This scene feels like a microcosm of the tension between local tourism development and local life: what visitors see is sunshine and sand, while what goes unseen is the environmental cost borne in the name of survival.
Marine debris piled high on Jimbaran Beach.
Local residents understand all too well that their livelihoods depend heavily on tourism, and that the pressures tourism brings are gradually transforming this land. Yet when survival is the immediate concern, any environmental protection measure can feel like a threat to income and employment, making choices all the more complicated. Tourism brings opportunity, but it also brings cost — and that cost is rarely shared equally.
There may be no perfect solution in the near term, but as travelers, we can reduce our use of single-use plastics, avoid chemical sunscreens harmful to coral while in the water, refrain from touching marine life, and choose dive centers that follow environmentally responsible guidelines — joining together to protect the beautiful underwater world of Bali.
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