Abstract
World Heritage listing has become a focus for those concerned with balancing tourism growth with the protection of the agricultural sector and cultural values in Bali. Aiming to marry sustainable development and heritage protection, the Cultural Landscape of Bali was officially listed as World Heritage in 2012, encompassing several sites associated with the subak irrigation networks that are at the heart of Balinese agrarian culture. The nomination paradoxically brings to a head decades of debate over cultural preservation and environmental protection. It raises numerous questions about the place of tangible and intangible heritage for a living culture, and ultimately for Balinese, how it could be possible to reconcile contradictions between the intrinsic value of cultural heritage and its commodification under globalizing capitalism.