The Balikpapan Gulf Area is of 211.456 Ha which comprises 15.994 Ha of waters and 195.462 Ha of land. Ecologically it has 54 Sub DAS (River Basin) and 31 small islands. Administratively the Gulf is in the Penajem Paser Utara Regency of Balikpapan City, whereas 2% of the total area is part of Kutai Kartanegara Regency – all in Indonesia’s East Kalimantan Province (Balikpapan Gulf Coastal Project, 2000).
Gulf Condition
Pressure to the gulf is increasing with the development in East Kalimantan’ economic and trade that goes through the Balikpapan Gulf.The increasing activity in this area as indicated by the areal expansion of plantation and agriculture, land conversion to coal mining, and the existence of new industrial site such as Kariangau industrial site, CPO industry, port, as well as the increasing activity of sea transport at the Gulf lower course may cause environmental problems such as sedimentation and erosion, sea water pollution, coral reef and sea grass damage, and have the life of rare species such as sea porpoise and sea cow threatened. These conditions may in turn threaten the sustainability of natural ecosystem should the increased activity in the area neglect the concerned area carrying capacity and holding capacity. Therefore, an area management through spatial planning is necessary.
Spatial Planning
Spatial planning implementation is an activity which covered the organization, construction, coordination and monitoring of spatial planning. In its implementation it involved the spatial planning, spatial utilization and control of spatial utilization (Spatial Planning Regulation No. 26 of 2007). The purpose of spatial planning implementation is to create a safe, pleasant, productive, and sustainable national spatial area based on Archipelago concept and National Endurance. Further, there are National RTRW (Area Spatial Planning), Province RTRW, Regency/town RTRW. In its hierarchy, the spatial planning always refers to the spatial planning above it, where each level sometimes has its own strategic area with high priority of handling. The appointment of a strategic area is based on five points as follows: security defence, economic growth, social and culture, the utilization of natural resource and/or high technology; environmental function and carrying capacity.
In East Kalimantan Province RTRW which has been prepared since 2005, and is expected to be approved by the Central Government this year, the Balikpapan Gulf as one of 8 strategic areas in East Kalimantan is included. Moreover, the Spatial Planning Sector of Public Works Department has prepared the Draft of Detailed Spatial Planning for Balikpapan Gulf Strategic Area. This detailed planning was a follow-up of East Kalimantan RTRW with 1:50.000 maps of spatial pattern and spatial structure. The spatial pattern consists of protected forest, mangrove, waters conservation, great forest park, coast watershed and river watershed.
The existing protected forest in Balikpapan Gulf is the Protected Forest of Sungai Wain of 9.782,80 ha (Decree of Forest Minister No. 416/Kpts-II/1995). This area is not only protecting its surrounding or below areas as water manager, flood and erosion prevention, and maintain land fertility but also serving as an area with primary forest rich in flora and fauna native to Kalimantan like honey bear (Helarctos malayanus), forest cat (Neofelis diardii) and as a rehabilitation site of orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus), in addition to 9 animals and 8 plants classified as threatened for extinction. This area is accessible from Kalimantan trans road which is about 16 kms for the center of Balikpapan.
The proposed area for Mangrove in Balikpapan Gulf is 18.486,8 hectares, where most of the mangrove area is the habitat of bekantan (Nasalis larvatus),which is endemic to Kalimantan. According to Stan Lota, a Czech’s researcher (2010), the population of bekantan in Balikpapan Gulf area is about 1.400 or five percent of the world’s rare primates, which is the biggest 6 in the world.
The great forest park area is (either) a natural or artificial conservation area which is mainly utilized for plant and/or animal collection, of which, 14.086 hectares is in the Balikpapan Gulf area out of the 61.850 hectares (Decree of Forest Minister No:270/KPTS-II/1991). The conversion of this area to other use such as mining shall be avoided, since it might increase the sediment transport to Semoi River which down streamed to Balikpapan Gulf. The increased sediment will shallow the gulf waters that may be lethal for the ecosystems of coral reef, sea grass and other ecosystem, which may also affect the existing sea transport system.
Other protected areas which are important for the conservation of almost extinct rare species ecosystem and habitat are the waters area for Mahakam porpoise and dugong-dugong (sea cow). The population of Mahakam porpoise or Irrawaddy (Orcaela brevirostris) is estimated to be about 67 -140 (RASI Foundation, 2008). Previously it is acknowledged that Mahakam porpoise lives only in three places in the world, i.e. Mahakam River (East Kalimantan – Indonesia), Irrawaddy River (Burma) and Mekong River (China). This animal that is previously known to live in a fresh water (river) ecosystem apparently can be found in the Balikpapan Gulf which is a salt water (sea) ecosystem.
The spatial pattern for cultivation area in Balikpapan Gulf consists of areas of production forest, industrial plan forest, plantation, agriculture, fishery, animal husbandry, tourism, settlement, mining, industrial site and port site.
The prepared Detailed Spatial Planning for Balikpapan Gulf which will be followed by preparation of Regional Regulation on the Strategic Area of Balikpapan Gulf is expected to create an area that is safe, pleasant, productive and sustainable based on Archipelago concept and National Endurance for the prosperity and welfare of especially the people of Balikpapan Gulf and generally the people of East Kalimantan.
