Tourism Planning in Sumbawa Preliminary Research Report Workroom B Ltd Liability Co
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Tourism Planning in Sumbawa Preliminary Research Report workroom B Ltd Liability Co. January 2020 Tourism Planning in Sumbawa Preliminary Research Report I. Major Themes: Summary 3 A. Tailings & Tourism 3 B. Townsite After the Mine 3 C. Building Seismic Code 3 D. Inclusion / Exclusion 3 E. Growth vs Development 3 F. Social Jealousy 3 II. Project Description 4 A. Preliminary Research Introduction 4 B. Project Background 4 C. Tourism Planning 4 III. Site Context: Western Sumbawa 6 A. A Short History of the Batu Hijau Mine 6 B. History 7 C. Geography 8 D. Culture 10 E. Socioeconomics 11 F. Botanical Life 12 IV. Transforming Sumbawa: Territorial Context 2000s-today 15 A. The Mine as an Actor of Transformation 15 B. Employment 16 C. Environment 17 V. Major Themes: Expanded 19 A. Tailings & Tourism 19 B. Townsite After the Mine 21 C. Inclusion / Exclusion 21 D. Growth vs Development 22 VI. Questions 24 References 25 Credits: This report was written by Benjamin Leclair-Paquet, with the exception of the ‘Botanical Life’ section, written by Lahiru S. Wijedasa. All research by workroom B. Commissioned by Amman Mineral. Los Angeles, 2020 2 I. Major Themes: Summary A. Tailings & Tourism The tailing pipeline coming from Batu Hijau Mine’s Concentrator follows a path that cuts through an area that the Consultant Team has identified as a Priority Tourism Zone. The presence of this pipeline, irrespectively of the substances it carries, might make Swiss Beach an unlikely location for a beach resort. (see page 19 for more detail) B. Townsite After the Mine Townsite appears to be a ‘company village’ existing for the sole use of mine employees. Located adjacent to prime tourism development zones, this area will require a comprehensive building re-use strategy to prepare it for its ‘second life’. (see page 21 for more detail) C. Building Seismic Code Sumbawa is located at the junction of two tectonic plates. The preponderance of seismic activities in the region calls for a particular type of construction and the potential implementation of a seismic code1 that would have a monumental effect on the region’s resilience to natural hazard.2 (see page 9-10 for more detail) D. Inclusion / Exclusion The Batu Hijau mine introduced a new industry, employment standards, benefit programs and income levels to Sumbawans. Its jobs, much like its installations, are in sharp contrast to those traditionally found in Sumbawa. The introduction of this ‘new world’, so to speak, has engendered feelings of exclusion that should be addressed. (see page 21 for more detail) E. Growth vs Development “Growth means to get bigger, development means to get better.”3 Tourism planning in locations where basic infrastructures are missing requires both growth and development. Learning from Newmont’s past efforts, AMNT can benefit from deep, grounded historical analysis to avoid replicating the same mistakes. This constitutes in an unparalleled opportunity as the context for AMNT’s CSR work in Sumbawa is practically the same as Newmont’s. (see page 22 for more detail) F. Social Jealousy The introduction of wealth for part of the population has made the poverty of the other part of the population evermore poignant. Some villagers, for example, “spoke nostalgically about a time when they were all equally poor (sama-sama miskin). (see page 11 for more detail) 1 Seismic codes, also known as earthquake codes, are building codes designed to protect property and life in buildings in case of earthquakes. While they often raise construction costs, they also create buildings that can save lives in earthquakes by absorbing seismic acceleration. 2 Disaster management specialists have demonstrated that ‘natural disaster’ only occur when a ‘natural hazard’ clashes with a built environment unprepared for it. Comparing the effects of the Chilean earthquake of 2010 (8.8 magnitude), the Haiti earthquake of 2010 (7.0 magnitude) and the San Francisco earthquake of 1989 (6.9 magnitude) takes this point home. 3 Jarkko Saarinen, Christian Rogerson, and Michael Hall, ‘Geographies of Tourism Development and Planning’, Tourism Geographies 19, no. 3 (2017): 308. 3 II. Project Description A. The Preliminary Research Report: Introduction This report was developed as a preparatory document for upcoming fieldwork in southwestern Sumbawa. The primary purpose of this report is to serve as a primer on West Sumbawa and the Batu Hijau mine for anyone invited to work on its development as a tourism destination. Its goals are to (a) summarize desk-based research conducted to familiarize ourselves with the site, (b) develop a shared understanding of the site’s historic, economic, political and socio-spatial conditions; (c) highlight key observations that warrant further investigation; and (d) raise questions that our partners and client might already have answers in order to avoid duplicating work. The report presents material gathered through a review of existing literature, maps and publicly available documents. The findings are constrained by a number of factors that mostly relate to the lack of scientifically valid literature and an abundance of disinformation campaigns presented as being scientifically researched. Another important limitation pertains to AMNT’s relatively short history in Sumbawa. This has made it particularly difficult to obtain information about their involvement within the community through its extensive Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs. On the other hand, some important scholarly work has been conducted on AMNT’s predecessor’s efforts in community development. PT Newmont’s (Newmont) record can actually shed some valuable lessons about how local communities have responded to different types CSR programs. With these limitations in mind, the findings presented here should be understood as being preliminary and requiring validation through fieldwork. B. Project Background This report was conducted as part of a larger project consisting of a tourism development plan in southwestern Sumbawa. The project was initiated by PT Amman Mineral Nusa Tenggara (AMNT) and developed under its CSR division. AMNT began collaborating with a team of tourism consultants from PT Lombok Saka in 2019 to build out a tourism development plan in Sumbawa. This initiative was put in motion partly to diversify the economy and assure the long-term prosperity of local residents after the end of mining operation in the Western Sumbawa Regency. In this context, workroom B Ltd. Liability Co. (workroom B) was invited to provide professional urban planning expertise. Our expected roles and contributions remain to be defined. C. Tourism Planning ‘Tourism planning’ has emerged as a specialization of regional and urban planning.4 Much like urban planning, tourism planning requires a holistic approach that considers the social, political, territorial, economic and cultural aspects of a site. In addition, Tourism Planning must also take into account the goals and aspirations of non-local stakeholders (i.e. potential tourists, investors, etc.), which adds a level of complexity to its activities. Tourism planning assumes a central stage in the future of the tourism sector. Working alongside tourism marketing experts, planners are developing projective strategies designed to align with the principles of sustainable development. Following best practice, successful tourism planning projects should be capable “of being built and expanded with clear links to grassroots and thus 4 Carlos Costa, ‘An Emerging Tourism Planning Paradigm? A Comparative Analysis Between Town and Tourism Planning’, International Journal of Tourism Research 3, no. 6 (2001): 425. 4 developed without losing their own personality.”5 The related fields of Tourism Planning and Tourism Marketing thereby work conjointly to develop socio-cultural infrastructures destined to support tourism activities and bring tourists in. Acknowledging that ‘planning is political’, tourism planning projects propose physical transformations that are contextually informed.6 Departing from the rational urban planning movement popular until the 1960s, contemporary urban planning calls for intensive public participation. In this framework, planners act as mediators between all primary stakeholders, ideally turning goals defined by the different parties involved into territorial proposals rather than being the sole decider behind a masterplan’s goals. The exact role of tourism planners can change with every project, and may include any of the following professional activities: Research • Secondary research (Desk-Based) • Primary research (Fieldwork) • Visual Analysis • Community Participation Workshops Action Research • Creating rapid, low-cost interventions and implementing them to assess their effects (how a project evolves, how the community adapts it, etc.) as a means to create new data in a local capacity assessment, and, if possible, affect change through the intervention itself. Territorial Assessment • Holistic research conducted to develop a baseline understanding of a site (map analysis, map making, socio-cultural analysis, environmental analysis, economic analysis. Desk- based and field research required) Site Planning • Development proposal for a site that locates and plans for key phases of development (defines what goes where on the territory). Site plans are suitable for privately owned development zones where the regulatory tools of a masterplan are not required. Masterplanning • Document intended for the long-term development of a site. Like the site plan, the