Indonesia’s plan to auction off development rights in an archipelago of more than 100 tropical islands turned into chaos. Guard.
A fisheries ministry official joined conservationists criticizing the sale.
Auction house Sotheby’s has described the desolate, pristine Vidi Conservation Area as “one of the most pristine coral atoll ecosystems left on Earth,” and an auction will be announced Thursday. The selling price was not specified, but potential buyers will need to pay a $100,000 deposit.
However, Victor Gustav Manoppo, Director-General of Marine Spatial Planning at the Ministry of Fisheries, disputed whether appropriate permits had been granted to operate in a marine protected area in Indonesia’s eastern Coral Triangle.
Selling the islands to non-Indonesians is prohibited by Indonesian law, so buyers must bid for shares of PT Leadership Islands Indonesia (PT LII), an Indonesian property development company licensed to build an eco-resort and luxury residential property on it. reserve.
Manoppo said PT LII does not have full authority from the central government to manage the reserve. “To our knowledge, PT LII currently does not have a marine activity permit to use the waters of the Vidi Islands,” he said at a press conference this week.
“According to our legal regulations, the Vidi Islands cannot be owned and sold by foreigners,” the official said.
Conservationists say the development could threaten their ecosystems, which includes tropical rainforests, mangroves, lagoons, lakes and coral reefs, which are home to a wide variety of species.