Les célèbres rizières de Jatiluwih, les subak et l’Unesco à Bali

• Main Author: Franck Michel
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Université des Antilles 2014-08-01
• Series: Études Caribéennes
• Subjects: culture; heritage; nature; rice; tourism
• Online Access: http://journals.openedition.org/etudescaribeennes/6957

On the island of Bali, in Indonesia, a touristic and cultural heaven, nowadays confronted with a too fast development, the typical rice fields form a real distinguishable brand of the local landscape. The countryside around Jatiluwih become now the main natural site recently approved by UNESCO. Its famous rice fields also represent a perfect case of the Balinese system named Subak, a traditional water network deeply rooted in the local culture. Here, culture and agriculture are strongly tied together, but always more threatened these days. This contribution discuss the present and the future of the rice culture, whether put in heritage or not, in the context of a tourism growth which everyday looks more mass than cultural oriented. A major challenge for the Balinese who would prefer to see their paradise not lost but better preserved.