Every day without fail since 1999, the team at Begawan Foundation has nurtured and reared a flock of critically endangered Bali Starlings in its breeding enclosures.

Over more than 24 years, the Foundation has led a pioneering conservation program aimed at restoring the population of Bali Starlings in the wild. The organisation’s work to save the Bali Starling is done not only within the breeding centre, but in local schools, government offices, wildlife parks, and rural villages on the island of Bali.

Inside the Breeding Centre

Begawan Gita is one of the most meticulously designed breeding centres on the island. In the village of Melinggih Kelod since 2018, and in the village of Sibang before that, the enclosures were designed by a veterinarian. Each enclosure is partially shaded to protect from rain and sunlight, and has a food bowl, watering bowl, bathing station, nest box, warming infrared light, and perches for the birds. Many enclosures have elements such as trees and nesting plants, to imitate the Bali Starlings’ natural habitat.

Begawan’s captive flock of birds are separated into three enclosures. Quarantine enclosures house birds that have arrived from outside sources or that need medical attention. Once these birds have been screened for diseases, they are allowed to socialise with the flock to strengthen breeding lines. If the birds are from Begawan’s fostering program, raised by locals in the community, they will become part of the breeding and release program.

Pre- and post-release care

Every year Begawan Gita aims to release 20 Bali Starlings, or 10 pairs, into selected release site. The Foundation conducts in-depth assessments of its release sites, checking the areas for the natural predators and disturbances such as smoke and noise. The sites are surveyed to ensure they have sufficient food, water, and nesting resources for the birds to thrive. Begawan’s conservation team must maintain connections to local people in the villages near its release sites. Their assistance is essential in tracking the birds’ movements, and the villagers are often first to notify the team of any incidents related to the birds’ wellbeing.

Long before any pairs are released, the conservation team tags newly hatched Bali Starlings with metal rings around their legs. These metal rings allow the birdkeeper to identify each birds and tell the birds reared in the Centre apart from others born in the wild. The rings are slipped over the birds’ claws at about 10 days old, and the ID number recorded in the program’s studbook. All births and deaths are reported to BKSDA (Natural Resource Conservation Centre). Birds chosen for release are also microchipped under the skin, using chips purchased from Trovan Microchips Australia, to enable the Begawan Gita team to track them if they are poached.

For one month after release, Begawan’s birdkeeper will monitor the birds twice a day. The birdkeeper may put out food in the early days until the pair can find their own food sources. When a pair of Bali Starlings shows an inclination to a particular area, the birdkeeper will look for natural holes where the birds can nest. If there are none, the birdkeeper will install a plywood nestbox, with a metal protector on the pole to prevent climbing predators from reaching the nest. After a month has passed, the birds are checked weekly, and any new Bali Starlings born in the wild are carefully monitored by the team.

Education for communities

Apart from the breeding and releasing of Bali Starlings, Begawan has also actively raised awareness for the importance of conservation among the island’s residents and visitors.

The Foundation developed a 10-week conservation course, using the Bali Starling as a focal point. The team from Begawan spent one hour each week with the students, teaching environmental preservation and empathy for animals through hands-on activities. The Foundation delivered the course to 2,500 students from 50 classes in 25 schools, impressing in these young minds the value of conservation.

Begawan Foundation held community workshops in villages where its Bali Starlings were released, educating more than 300 people about the plight of the Bali Starling and enlisting villagers’ support in protecting the birds in their neighborhoods. The organisation also conducted extensive training in professional breeding and care for Bali Starlings at Base Bali, and Bali Safari and Marine Park.

At Begawan Guru, the Foundation’s community education centre, the curriculum highlights species preservation, environmental conservation and advocacy for the 45 students attending the program, all from nearby villages in Melinggih Kelod. In 2022, Begawan launched tours of its breeding centre and release site, for students of all ages. These guided experiences carry the story of the Bali Starling to a wide audience from all over the world.

Begawan’s long-standing efforts to protect the Bali Starlings were recognized in 2015 by the Tri Hita Karuna Nugraha awarding committee, which honours outstanding organisations working to enhance Balinese values and society. Begawan Gita welcomes visitors to its breeding centre and release site, just 20 minutes from Ubud. To find out more or book a tour, contact us at hello@begawan.org

The farm’s natural water filter provides a source of pure water for irrigation, as well as for insects and animals that thrive near water, creating a stable food supply for a variety of beautiful creatures. Dragonflies, which lay their eggs in water, are considered a good indicator that water is clean and uncontaminated. Six species of dragonflies have been identified in Begawan’s rice fields. Their presence is a source of pride for the farmers.

Every afternoon in the village of Melinggih Kelod, a charming scene would unfold on the road outside the Begawan Guru Learning Centre.

Parents, grandparents, siblings, and relatives arrived on motorcycles to drop children off at Begawan’s after-school learning centre. The children, aged six to eleven, attended a free educational programme developed and sponsored by the Begawan Foundation. From 1pm to 5pm, six days a week, they were given opportunities to develop their skills and understanding of the world — not through rote memorisation, repetition, or exams, but through meaningful, hands-on activities tailored specifically for Balinese children.

Begawan Guru employed three full-time and six part-time teachers. The Learning Centre did not have rows of desks or chairs facing whiteboards — instead, students sat in circles or worked in small groups, guided by facilitators who encouraged enthusiastic participation. The children were free to express their ideas and opinions, and were supported in addressing challenges collaboratively in mixed-age groups. Achievement was measured through consistent attendance and perseverance in learning. At the end of each term, students worked on a final project that required them to apply the knowledge they had gained over the preceding months.

At the Begawan Gita Breeding and Conservation Centre in Melinggih Kelod, a dedicated team takes care of a small flock of critically endangered Bali Starlings, born and reared in the centre. From hatching to habituation, the Begawan birdkeepers make every effort to raise healthy birds to full adulthood, with the goal of one day releasing them into the wild.

Begawan’s birdkeeper observes the parents closely in the early days. If the parents are not  feeding or tend ingto their chicks well, our birdkeeper will rear the chicks by hand and ensure they receive proper nutrition and attention.

At around 10 days old, each chick born in the Begawan Gita Breeding Centre will receive its own ID in the form of a metal ring. These rings are slipped on at 10 days old, before the birds’ claws become too large. The ID number and parentage of each bird is recorded in our studbook, and reported to the Natural Conservation Agency of Indonesia. Begawan’s birdkeeper also places coloured bands around the birds’ legs, to differentiate between the sexes. 

How would you summarize your career up to now? 

I started working in kitchens after school when I was 14 years old. After high school I got an opportunity to go to the USA to learn cooking in fine-dining restaurants in Colorado and Utah. I also got a chance to go to Dubai and cook for five-star hotels there.

At that time there was no Michelin rated restaurant in Southeast Asia yet, so it was a big dream of mine to work with a Michelin-starred chef. Luckily, I got a chance to work for two years with two-star Michelin Chef Antonio Mellino at his restaurant Quattro Passi. In 2018 I decided to come home. I worked in a few luxury resorts and properties in Bali before coming to Begawan Biji.

What important lessons did you learn while working with Chef Antonio Mellino?

The biggest thing I learned from working with a Michelin-starred chef was the mentality and discipline. I learned about time management and to have curiosity about food.

Why did you choose Begawan Biji?

The thing that attracted me to Begawan Biji is the farm-to-table concept. We really have a farm, and the farm is next to the restaurant. You can see our rice grown here, our eggs are from the henhouse, our fruits and vegetables are from the garden next to you.

Everything on the table is local. What we do here we do 100% organic, 100% local produce, and 100% GMO-free. Me and my team try as hard as possible to find the best ingredients for our guests.

How would you describe Indonesian food?

Indonesian food is rich and very complex. The taste is really intense. If it’s sour it’s really sour. If it’s spicy it’s really spicy. If it’s smoky, it should be very smoky. The technique used most is slow, long cooking. Rendang takes 10 or 12 hours to cook. Brenebon takes eight hours to cook. Chicken Betutu takes four hours to cook — the traditional way.

I use a lot of slow cooking styles, like smoking, steaming, and stewing. Nowadays there are many modern techniques, but for me the traditional way is nicer than the modern way. That’s why I want to bring back the traditional way in Begawan Biji, so guests can taste exactly what Indonesian food is.

How did you approach building the menu at Begawan Biji? 

At Begawan Biji, our concept is farm-to-table. The farm for me is like my playground. Anything I can find on the farm I can put on my plate. That’s basically my concept. I want to put ingredients on the plate as simply as possible. I want to serve simple, homey food that everyone can enjoy.

Reserve your table or find out more about Begawan Biji at www.begawanbiji.com

At the end of a quiet road just 20 minutes from Ubud
waits one of the most beautiful farms in Bali.

Part of the land is molded into mandala-shaped garden beds, fringed by edible flowers, mulberry trees, and sorghum. A traditional lumbung, or Balinese granary, stands proudly on wooden stilts. A long poultry house faces a rustling orange grove, and neatly planted rice fields lead the eye towards rows of waving banana trees and coconut palms.

Begawan Giri began in 2022, with just one farmer on a 0.44-hectare plot of land in Bayad Village. Begawan, a foundation that’s led initiatives in conservation and education in Bali for more than 20 years, decided to explore solutions to Bali’s pressing agricultural concerns: environmental degradation, land loss, and low incomes for farmers.   

Aware of the high methane output and water consumption in conventional flooded fields, Begawan chose to use intermittent flooding for its rice paddies, significantly reducing water use as well as methane emissions. Dr. Stephen Lansing, an ecological anthropologist, studied the methane output of Begawan’s fields, and reported his findings at COP28 in Dubai in 2022.

Begawan’s founders reached out to hotels and resorts in Bali with news of the small farm growing a delicious, nutty wholegrain using only natural farming methods. After a four-and-a-half month growing cycle, 966 kilos of Mansur rice were harvested.

Today a number of farmers are growing Mansur Rice naturally on rice fields surrounding Begawan Biji. The farmers are trained in natural regenerative farming practices, and each farmer is guaranteed a premium price for the rice, well above market rates. Begawan also provides jobs to men and women from Melinggih Kelod, who help with labour on the farm.