On June 29, the 36th meeting of the UNESCO Cultural Heritage Committee at St. Petersburg, Russia, reached a vital decision for Indonesia: the official recognition of Bali's Subak landscape as a world cultural heritage. Subak is seen to reflect a philosophy specific to Bali: the harmony between divinity, humanity and nature. The St. Petersburg achievement was a culmination of 12 years of hard work. Tempo English reports from Bali on the efforts that led to this victory, and more importantly, its impact on local farmers.
The term subak has been known since the 11th century. Balinese communities, as well as the colonial Dutch and the Indonesian government have helped shaped today's subak over the years.
