Why this photo of a slice of paradise being torn to shreds on Australia’s doorstep has divided opinion

Tourists in Bali are being asked to choose between the natural environment and local culture, as a petition circulates to save a popular surfing spot from destruction.

Excavators have knocked down huge chunks of a limestone cliff at Uluwatu, on the southwestern tip of Bali’s Bukit Peninsula, to build a concrete seawall and road around the base of the cliff.

While tourists would normally oppose such destruction, the sea wall is being built to protect the limestone cliffs from erosion and prevent its effects. The Pura Luhur Uluwata Temple that lies on top of them protects them from collapsing into the sea.

Conservation group Save The Waves Coalition claims the work threatens the waves that attract surfers from around the world and the area’s abundant marine life.

Portuguese surfer Nic von Rupp shared a video on Instagram showing the destruction and called on followers to sign a petition.

It is a divisive issue, with others seeing merit in the Indonesian government’s efforts to protect the cliffs and temple.

‘Yes, brother, I love Ulus too, but isn’t this about preserving the cliffs and everything on top of them, for example the Buddhist temple, and not about a sea wall as a road?’ wrote one.

‘Be good at clarifying and not misleading everyone? I would like clarification.’

Excavators build service wall and seawall at the base of the Uluwatu cliffs, alarming conservationists

Another added: “The locals want to protect their temple, this land belongs to the locals and they have the right to choose. you here are just tourists and don’t decide much.’

Others said the natural environment should take priority over preserving man-made structures.

‘WTF is the problem with politics in Bali and Indo in general? There are so many bizarre projects going on!’ wrote one.

“Bro, THANK YOU for speaking up about this, just seeing the takeover,” wrote a second.

‘Ay Bali has been heartbreaking in recent years, but this definitely goes too far. I appreciate you using your platform to raise awareness.”

‘I can’t believe this is happening!! Me and my friends surfed Tempels not too long ago, and we even saw small reef sharks!!!’ another added.

Others claimed they had slowly seen the island losing its appeal as the number of tourists grew.

‘Too many hipsters and tourists are conquering the island. Bali is lost,” one person wrote.

“It has been vandalized and trampled for years, but voluntarily destroying the cliffs in this way is inexcusable,” said another.

Von Rupp’s Instagram post said he had surfed the spot every summer for the past 20 years.

“It truly breaks my heart to see the destruction of a beautiful coastline and marine life,” he wrote.

“We have to stop human greed and all this nonsense.

‘If you love surfing, Indonesia, Uluwatu and preserving the planet earth we have left, please sign the petition in my biography.’

Portuguese surfer Nic von Rupp shared a video on Instagram showing the destruction and called on followers to sign a petition

No artist’s impression has yet been made of what the completed development will look like, with conservationists claiming a full environmental impact study has been carried out

According to the Save the Waves Coalition petition, Uluwatu is ‘a uniquely magical place where world-class waves, a biodiverse marine ecosystem and modern and ancient cultures all come together’.

The petition acknowledged that the development is partly intended to strengthen the cliffs below the temple.

However, Save The Waves said there has been no environmental impact assessment for the project

“It is impossible to estimate how Uluwatu’s biodiverse surfing ecosystem could be affected,” the petition claims.

The petition states that the surrounding seas support ‘a rich array of marine life, including dugongs (relatives of manatees), sea snakes, reef sharks, sea turtles and a wide variety of reef fish species. An orca has even been sighted in the area.

“It is concerning that this project is moving forward without appropriate analysis and public transparency regarding the potential risks to the environment and surf, especially in such a sensitive and biodiverse area,” the petition reads.

Without an environmental impact study, the coalition said there is no way to know what effect the project would have on the world-famous waves.

As of Tuesday morning, the petition, which aims to collect 15,000 signatures, had collected more than 11,000.