Balikpapan Bay in East Kalimantan, Indonesia, sustains a remarkable variety of forest and estuarine ecosystems, including diverse tropical dipterocarp rainforest, mature mangrove forests, shallow bay waters, important sea-grass habitats, and coral reefs. These unique coastal environments have been severely reduced and degraded throughout much of the rest of East Kalimantan. Balikpapan Bay and its adjoining forest ecosystems provide critical habitat for a variety of rare and threatened wildlife species, including proboscis monkeys, Sunda clouded leopards, orangutans, sun bears, dugongs, Irrawaddy dolphins, saltwater crocodiles, and green sea turtles. The bay itself includes a variety of freshwater, brackish, and mangrove habitats that provide vital breeding areas for commercially important fish and crustacean species that help to sustain local fisheries

A major development project to bridge the bay at Pulau Balang, requires long (and expensive) access roads to be built both from Balikpapan city and the neighbouring district, to the bridge. These roads will dramatically increase human access to hitherto isolated areas of the bay coastline, which will soon result in increased human settlement, farming, illegal logging, and land speculation, that will threaten native habitats and lead to increased fires and wildlife poaching. Such human pressures will degrade not only the bay and its rich mangrove forests, but will also imperil the tropical dipterocarp forests in the nearby Sungai Wain Protection Forest.

Many leading Indonesian and international wildlife authorities have decried the plan to build the Pulau Balang Bridge because of its unacceptable environmental costs. An alternative, shorter, and more cost-effective bridge route exists to span the Balikpapan Bay, by directly linking the Balikpapan city on the east of the bay, with Penajam city on the west bank, and this route would be far less destructive to natural ecosystems.

Local authorities in the Balikpapan area and the neighbouring district of Penajam-Paser Utara have recently expressed a preference for this more-direct and less environmentally destructive route but elements of the Provincial and National Governments continue to push for this environmentally disastrous road route and bridge project.

HOW YOU CAN HELP 

Below is a sample letter for your use and names/addresses where you can send it.

Sample letter:

Dear Sir/Madam,

Hereby I/we would like to express my/our deep concern at the continued plans to build a bridge across Balikapapan Bay at P. Balang, which will necessitate very long and inefficient access roads. I/we strongly believe that these plans will cause irreversible and serious damage to many of the valuable and special habitats and wildlife species that can be found in and around Balikpapan Bay.

I/we believe that the current plans were drawn nearly 2 decades ago, and can not understand how such outdated and obviously inappropriate plans have not been revised to incorporate modern advances in bridge and road building technologies, and our better understanding of the importance of good environmental planning.

I/we would like to urge the governments of East Kalimantan Province and the Republic of Indonesia to halt the current plans and change the bridge location and reroute the access roads to sites, which will cause much less environmental damage, and be a more efficient use of public funds.

Yours sincerely,

Kepada Bapak/Ibu yg Kami Hormati,

Dengan ini kami ingin menyampaikan kekhawatiran kami tentang berlanjutnya rencana menjembatani Teluk Balikpapan di lokasi P. Balang, yang akan mengharuskan jalan akses yang sangat panjang dan boros. Kami sangat meyakini rencana tersebut akan menyebabkan kerusakan berat yang tidak dapat dipulihkan pada berbagai habitat dan kehidupan liar yang dapat ditemukan di sekitar Teluk Balikpapan.

Kami mengetahui bahwa rencana tersebut disusun dua puluh tahun lampau, dan kami tidak dapat memahami bagaimana perencanaan yang begitu kaduluwarsa tidak dapat diperbaharui agar mengakomodir teknologi pembangunan jembatan dan jalan yang mutakhir serta pemahaman terkini tentang pentingnya perencanaan pembangunan yang ramah lingkungan.

Kami ingin menyarankan pemerintah Provinsi Kalimantan Timur dan Pemerintah Republik Indonesia agar rencana pembangunan jembatan P.Balang dihentikan segera, dan lokasi jembatan dan rute jalan akses diubah agar tidak menyebabkan kerusakan lingkungan yang berat dan dapat menggunakan uang publik secara lebih efisien.

Wasallam,

CONTACTS TO SEND YOUR LETTER:

Asisten Staff Khusus Presiden Republik Indonesia Bidang Pembangunan Daerah dan Otda

Bapak Suwandi Idris
suwandi.papua@gmail.com

Dinas Pekerjaan Umum dan Kimpraswil Propinsi Kalimantan Timur
Bapak H. Husinsyah
Jl. Tengkawang 1
Samarinda 75123
Kalimantan Timur
Indonesia

E-mail: ka.humas@kaltimprov.go.id
Tel: +62-541-276246
Fax: +62-541-276237

Ketua DPRD Provinsi Kalimantan Timur
Bapak Mukhmin Faisal
Jalan Teuku Umar Karang Paci
Samarinda 75123
Kalimantan Timur
Indonesia

Tel: +62-541-275544
Fax: +62-541-275533
E-mail: humas@dprd-kaltimprov.go.id

Kepala BAPPEDA Provinsi Kaltim
Bapak H. Rusmadi
Bappeda Provinsi Kalimantan Timur
Jl. Kesuma Bangsa Nomor 2
Samarinda 75123
Kalimantan Timur
Indonesia

Tel: +62-541-741044
Fax:  +62-541-742283
E-mail: rusmadi@kaltimprov.go.id
E-mail: mail@bappedakaltim.com

Fax: +62-542-731218
E-mail: manuntung.balikpapan@gmail.com
E-mail: mukandar@balikpapan.go.id

Kepala BAPPEDA Kotamadya Balikpapan.
Bapak Suryanto
Jl. Jend. Sudirman RT. 13 No. 1
Balikpapan 76100
Kalimantan Timur
Indonesia

Tel. +62-542-421142
Fax: +62-542-731889
E-mail: info@bappedabalikpapan.net
E-mail: suryanto.bpid@balikpapan.go.id
E-mail: admin@balikpapan.go.id

Journalists:

Tribun Samarinda
Mr. Khaidir
E-mail: didier_kt@yahoo.com

Tribun Balikpapan
Mr. Ferry
E-mail: ferimei@gmail.com

Kompas
Mr. Ambro
+62-815-53133293
E-mail: bro@kompas.com

Jakarta Post
Ms. Nurni (Uni) Sulaiman
+62-812-5506143
E-mail: kinabalu77@yahoo.com

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!