Bali’s iconic terraced paddy fields, a Unesco World Heritage site, are under threat of extinction due to climate change. - PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: UNSPLASH via The New Straits Times/ANN
JAKARTA (The Straits Times/ANN): In the heart of Bali, where yellow-green paddy terraces ripple across the landscape like waves, ancient subak rice fields bear witness to the island’s rich cultural heritage. These intricate, community-led irrigation systems have nourished both the land and its people, a symbol of the delicate balance between nature and tradition.
But as the shadow of climate change looms larger with each passing year, this harmonious relationship is under threat. Experts warn that by 2050, the picturesque subak rice fields could face extinction, leaving the island’s landscape and way of life irrevocably altered. But such a scenario can be avoided with countermeasures, they add.
