It's Time for Bali to Have a Plant Hospital

Bali is known as a paradise for tourism, but behind its glittering image lies a wealth of ecological treasures and remarkable local wisdom. One cultural legacy worth revisiting is the concept of Sad Kerthi Loka Bali, which places harmony between humans and nature as the foundation of life. Of the six principles of Sad Kerthi, Wana Kerthi — the sanctification and reverence of plant life — becomes especially relevant amid today’s ecological challenges.

The idea of establishing a Plant Hospital is not a utopian discourse. On the contrary, it is an urgent necessity in the context of environmental conservation, local food resilience, and efforts to preserve Bali’s traditional knowledge, including the Usadha Bali herbal medicine system.

Plant Crisis, Cultural Crisis

Climate change, land conversion, and the massive use of chemical pesticides have endangered many of Bali’s endemic plants. This includes not only food crops but also plants with deep spiritual significance in ceremonial traditions. This is not merely an ecological problem — it is a cultural crisis.

In many desa adat (customary villages), the younger generation is increasingly unfamiliar with medicinal plants and their uses. If left unaddressed, the chain of knowledge between ancestors and future generations may be broken.

Plant Hospital: Bali’s Living Laboratory

The concept of a Plant Hospital could serve as a living laboratory for restoration, preservation, and education. It would be a space to treat plants suffering from pests or soil degradation, and also a conservation center for rare species with ecological and spiritual value.

Moreover, this approach could bridge two worlds: modern science and traditional wisdom. Collaboration between farmers, pemangku (temple priests), academics, and Balian Usadha (traditional healers) could foster a uniquely Balinese synergy — sekala lan niskala — the seen and unseen, physical and spiritual, working in harmony.

Toward a Sustainable Bali

The Plant Hospital could also become a new icon of educational eco-tourism. Visitors would come not only to enjoy Bali’s beaches and culture, but also to learn about its philosophy of plant and earth stewardship.

More than that, this is a concrete step in realizing Nawacita at a local level — building from the grassroots, from the desa adat, from the roots of wisdom. If Bali becomes a pioneer in establishing a Plant Hospital in Indonesia, or even the world, we will not only be protecting nature — we will be nurturing the very soul of Bali itself.

“To care for plants is to care for life.
To heal plants is to heal the universe.”

By: Ngurah Sigit

The author is a sociologist, cultural observer, and media analyst.