T

he Bantul Geospatial Information Agency (BIG) will commence restoration work on the sand dunes on Depok Beach, Bantul regency, Yogyakarta, this September as a way of protecting the world natural heritage site from further destruction.

The agency'€™s head, Priyadi Kardono, said restoration was urgent because some of the dunes had been converted into housing complexes, eateries, karaoke parlors and other entertainment spots while others had been turned into shrimp ponds.

'€œWe will do the restoration by clearing the area of housing, ponds and other buildings as they are destroying the natural environment,'€ Priyadi said in Yogyakarta recently.

As an initial step, he said, his agency would place pegs to mark the sand dune zone. Research and Technology and Higher Education Minister Muhammad Nasir and Yogyakarta Governor Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X are expected to conduct the installation of the pegs on Sept. 11.

The sand dunes area is divided into three zones. First is the limited zone of 95.3 hectares allotted for tourism purposes, public facilities and trade activities. Second is the core zone amounting to 141.1 hectares. The third is the supporting zone for facilities such as offices, beach forests, tourism and horticulture.

The sand dunes, according to Priyadi, would also be cleared of unnecessary plants. '€œIn the future the zone is expected to be free from plants and buildings,'€ he said.

To smooth the restoration process, he added, his office would coordinate with the Yogyakarta provincial and Bantul regency administrations to sterilize the sand dunes zone from housing. By clearing the zone, he said, the natural process of recreating the sand dunes would begin.

As a result of the buildings that have been developed along the coast in the area over the last few decades, the process of forming of the rare sand dunes had stopped. '€œBy clearing the obstacles, the wind will be able to form the sand dunes again like in the past,'€ Priyadi said.

The restoration of the sand dunes, he added, would also involve the community by employing local people as tour guides for the nature tourism associated with the area.

Among the points of interest would be the folklore surrounding the black stone in the middle of the sand in Parangkusumo, the hot springs and the origins of the sand dunes. '€œThat way tourists will not come just for the sand dunes but also for the tales about their origin etc,'€ he said.

Last year, the Geological Agency of the Energy and Natural Resources Ministry officially declared the Bantul sand dunes as being among nine unique geological rock formations located in the Yogyakarta Special Region regarded as geo-heritage sites. Several other sites are the Eosen limestone in Gamping, Sleman regency, the former manganese mining site in Kleripan, Kulonprogo regency, and the prehistoric volcano in Nglanggeran, Gunungkidul regency.

Head of Yogyakarta Provincial Public Works, Housing and Energy and Mineral Resources Agency, Rani Syamsinarsi, said the status of the sand dunes as a world natural heritage site would be made clear in its spatial planning in the detailed engineering design (DED). '€œIt can no longer be interfered with,'€ Rani said.

Meanwhile, Dardi Nugroho, a local, said it would not be easy to clear the sand dunes area from buildings because it would involve evicting hundreds of people from the site.

'€œThis is not a problem of relocation but a matter of livelihood. People have for years run eateries and hostels in the area around the sand dunes,'€ he said.

He added that people developed buildings there because of backing from senior officials in return for money. The shrimp ponds, which were regarded as environmentally damaging, for example, were there because the owners received official protection.

'€œIf they are really not allowed [to run businesses there] the administration must be firm and not play with money instead,'€ Dardi said.