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N. The Role of the People in Management of the Lake

At no time during the investigations of Rawa Pening did any member of any of the Departments to whom the team spoke, mention any positive aspect of the importance of the human population living on the shores of the lake. This is an area with a very high population density. Many live in small villages on the edge of the lake and obtain a small income as farmers or as fishermen. They are relatively poor and underprivileged. Many are hard working and some travel to the local towns to obtain work. These people represent a potential labour force which would be a great asset in any planned development of the water resources potential of the area.

These people seem to be generally overlooked by administrators at present. If any development is considered, the focus is on equipment or on bringing in expertise from adjacent cities or towns.

Those who are fishermen and facing extreme difficulties at present with the decline in that industry, could, with some training, be of great value to a well-planned tourist industry. These people are knowledgeable about boats, winds, currents, safe landing places, and the best fishing spots. They can handle boats in storms, which can appear suddenly on the lake, and know about outboard motors. Fishing is often seen as a "last resort" occupation in the area. As tourist guides and assistants they could expect a substantially higher income than that from fishing. This could even become a part-time occupation for them, with their job as tourist guides being a weekend or holiday occupation.

There has been little effort on the part of Government to develop appropriate environmentally-sound industries in relation to this lake. Despite this it appears that a small mushroom cultivation industry has developed in which the leaves of water hyacinth are taken to the Dieng Plateau for use as a substrate for the growth of mushrooms. It would seem appropriate, since mushrooms command a high economic value, to consider the establishment of mushroom cultivation near Rawa Pening. This has been discussed previously.

Since mushrooms are a valuable and relatively expensive commodity this should provide an excellent source of income for local people employed in various aspects of the production system.

In the past, investigations and experiments by Soerjani have shown that it is feasible to produce a high-quality card and thick, strong wrapping paper from the leaves of water hyacinth. This was developed as a cottage industry. It was not successful, possibly because of the lack of a guaranteed large-scale market. In this era of supermarkets and large scale industry, it would seem more appropriate to consider the establishment of a large production plant aimed at this product. To do so would call for an initial investigation of the economic viability of the industry in relation to the potential market.

Should it be shown to be viable, then local residents on the lake shore could be contracted to supply quantities of water hyacinth for processing in the factory. The foliage would be accumulated and then sold to collectors from the factory. Again, this would call for an advertising campaign and the establishment of guaranteed markets for the products. A range of such products could be produced to meet different needs. Local people could be employed in a range of roles in such an industry.

One of the main obstacles to any developments such as those above is the lack of vision and initiative by Government staff. There has been a tendency to focus on the old and well-tried industries of Java. There is little perception that new industries could be designed round existing natural resources. The encouragement of entrepreneurial approaches to new developments should offer opportunities to staff in private industry as well as to those in official positions.

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