Lombok’s Buwun Mas: Luxury Resort Development Sparks Concerns Over Tradition, Culture, And Environment

Published on October 15, 2025

The quiet coastal colony of “Buwun Mas” on Indonesia’s Lombok Island is connected nan brink of translator arsenic developers push guardant pinch plans for a billion-dollar luxury resort. The Marina Bay project, group to span 1 100 forty-nine hectares (three 100 sixty-eight acres) of farmland and coastline, promises a big of amenities, including luxury villas, a marina, and a scope of high-end tourism services. However, nan improvement has ignited important concerns regarding nan imaginable nonaccomplishment of taste heritage, biology degradation, and nan use of section communities.

For generations, life successful Buwun Mas has remained comparatively unchanged, pinch villagers relying connected accepted practices and nan earthy landscape. But pinch nan impending resort, galore fearfulness that this measurement of life could beryllium irreversibly altered.

A Promising Investment aliases Cultural Erosion?

The Marina Bay development, led by Australian investors, intends to create a edifice comparable to nan likes of Miami, offering a luxurious flight for tourists. Developers reason that nan task will bring much-needed jobs and infrastructure to 1 of Lombok’s poorest regions, which has historically lagged down much developed tourer areas for illustration Bali and cardinal Lombok.

Rochidi, nan colony main of Buwun Mas, expressed optimism astir nan project, noting that, dissimilar erstwhile investments that ne'er materialized, nan edifice is now nether construction. Local leaders are hopeful that nan organization tin straight use from nan improvement done employment and engagement successful nan resort’s operations.

However, this optimism is tempered by fears of taste erosion and biology harm. Critics reason that nan standard of nan edifice whitethorn beryllium excessively overmuch for nan area to handle, pointing to nan imaginable nonaccomplishment of accepted customs and nan demolition of earthy habitats. The area’s vulnerability to ambiance change—particularly nan threat of rising oversea levels and tsunamis—adds different furniture of concern.

Government’s Role and nan ‘Ten New Balis’ Initiative

In an effort to diversify tourism crossed Indonesia, nan authorities launched nan “Ten New Balis” initiative, aiming to replicate Bali’s occurrence by processing different regions into tourer hotspots. The Mandalika resort, besides located successful Lombok’s Sekotong region, has already seen important investment, including hosting world events for illustration nan MotoGP races. However, nan Mandalika task has not been without controversy, pinch United Nations experts accusing authorities of forced evictions and inadequate compensation for displaced section families.

The Marina Bay task is being cautiously scrutinized by authorities officials, who are mindful of nan lessons learned from Mandalika. Authorities person promised to modulate improvement to guarantee it aligns pinch section land-use readying and does not lead to irreversible harm to nan environment.

Local Opposition to Large-Scale Tourism Projects

While nan Marina Bay edifice promises economical benefits, it has faced important guidance from section communities elsewhere successful Lombok. In Tanjung Ann, a celebrated bay adjacent Mandalika, section businesses that cater to surfers and visitors are astatine consequence of being displaced to make measurement for luxury hotels. Many residents fearfulness that they will not beryllium capable to past nan relocation, leaving only ample commercialized operators to use from nan area’s tourism potential.

In response, nan Marina Bay project’s developers person pledged to debar nan mistakes made by erstwhile developments. As portion of their sustainability plan, nan edifice will characteristic waste-to-energy systems, solar-powered transport, and organization farms. The project’s CEO emphasized nan committedness to providing fair-wage jobs for locals and scholarships for education, pinch an accent connected hiring from nan Buwun Mas organization itself.

Challenges of Balancing Development and Preservation

Lombok’s Sekotong region faces a unsocial situation successful balancing nan increasing request for tourism pinch nan request to sphere its taste personality and earthy environment. As Indonesia’s tourism manufacture continues to expand, nan country’s authorities are nether expanding unit to guarantee that improvement does not travel astatine nan disbursal of section traditions and ecosystems.

The Marina Bay task whitethorn beryllium 1 of nan astir eager attempts to bring luxury tourism to Lombok, but it is not without risks. Environmentalists and organization advocates are urging nan authorities to return a careful, measured approach, considering nan semipermanent impacts connected some nan situation and section communities.

Conclusion: A Fork successful nan Road for Lombok’s Future

The hostility betwixt contented and improvement successful Lombok is not unsocial to Buwun Mas. Similar disputes person emerged crossed nan island, wherever communities are grappling pinch nan allure of caller investments and nan imaginable costs to their measurement of life. Whether nan Marina Bay task will win successful bringing prosperity without sacrificing civilization and nan situation remains to beryllium seen. It is clear that arsenic Indonesia continues to beforehand tourism arsenic a cornerstone of its economical future, nan situation will beryllium to guarantee that maturation is sustainable and inclusive for each stakeholders.