Tourist plans for Komodo National Park raising fears
Plans to turn Komodo Island into an Indonesian Jurassic Park for tourists is raising concerns among environmentalists. The project is already underway as new construction replaces older structures.
Jakarta (AsiaNews) – Plans are underway to transform Komodo Island into a modern-day Jurassic Park for tourists, but such development is raising concerns among environmentalists.
Komodo Island, together with the nearby Rinca Island, is home to the Komodo dragon, a giant lizard, in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) province.
The area is far from Flores Island and it takes at least a three-hour boat trip from one of the world's newest emerging tourist destinations: Labuan Bajo.
The latter has joined Indonesian's list of major tourist destination like Bali, Raja Ampat in West Papua, Lake Toba in North Sumatra, Lombok in West Nusa Tenggara, and Sumba in NTT.
However, over the past few days, Komodo's "Jurassic Park" has attracted national and international interest because Indonesian authorities – local, provincial and central government – want to "renovate" all the existing structures to make them look more "modern".
The key aim of renovation is to turn this extraordinary site into a top tourist destination. But this has been controversial among local residents and Indonesian tourism enthusiasts who say that they will never be able to visit the exotic islands because of hefty entry fees.
Others complain that the project will damage the island’s ecosystem with machines, threatening the exotic animals’ unique ecosystem, which can only be found on Rinca and Komodo Islands.
Despite such reservations, the project is already underway as new construction is replacing older structures.
Closed for at least one year
Renovation work has closed down all activities at the Loh Buaya Resort on Rinca Island.
"This closure will take effect on 26 October until 30 June 2021," said Lukita Awang, Komodo National Park chief. The site's main project will include the construction of a ship dock, a tourist information centre, ranger bungalows and a nature guide service.
The Ministry of Public Works and Housing in cooperation with the Ministry of Environment and Forestry are in charge of the project.
The Minister of Public Works and Housing Basuki Hadimuljono dismissed the complaints that such a project will endanger the Komodo dragons.
For the minister, this huge project will provide, among other things, roads, a waste management system, clean water and sanitation as well as renovated housing and new socio-economic infrastructure. In addition, the project follows the principle of caution to protect the Komodo National Park’s pristine site.
The park was officially included in the World Heritage by UNESCO for its outstanding universal value.
The Flores Labuan Bajo Tourism Authority Agency (BOPLBF) confirmed that the work is being carried out respecting the principle of caution to protect the Komodo. However, the giant lizards seem bothered by the construction noise.
Komodo National Park
Komodo National Park is located in the middle of the Indonesian archipelago, between the islands of Sumbawa and Flores.
Established in 1980, the park's primary purpose was initially to preserve the unique Komodo dragon (varanus komodoensis) and its habitat.
However, over the years, the goals for the park have expanded to include protecting its overall biodiversity, both land and sea.
In 1986, the park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site under the UNESCO Man and Biosphere Programme, an indication of the park's biological importance.
The park includes three main islands: Komodo, Rinca and Padar, as well as numerous islets for a total area (sea and land) of 1,817 square kilometres – a proposed extension would bring the total area to 2,321 square kilometres.
In addition to being the home of the Komodo dragon, the park offers shelter to many other noteworthy land species, such as the orange-footed scrubfowl (Megapodius reinwardti), the endemic Rinca rat (Rattus rintjanus), and the Timor deer.
The park also includes one of the richest marine ecosystems, with coral reefs, mangroves, seagrass meadows, sae mountains and semi-enclosed bays.
These habitats are home to more than a thousand species of fish, around 260 coral species and 70 sponge species. Dugong, sharks, manta rays, at least 14 species of whales, dolphins and sea turtles live in Komodo National Park.
Threats to land biodiversity include increasing pressure on forest cover and water resources as a result of a rising human population, plus 800 per cent over the past 60 years.
The Timor deer population, a favourite food for the endangered Komodo dragon, is still being poached.
Destructive fishing practices like using dynamite, cyanide and compressor fishing seriously threaten the park's marine resources by destroying both the habitat (coral reefs) and the resource itself (fish and invertebrates).
Such destructive practices are a still small but persistent problem, due mainly to immigrant fishermen.
Pollution, including raw sewage and chemicals, is getting worse, and could pose a major threat in the future.
Today, the Komodo National Park (Balai Taman Nasional Komodo) and the PT. Putri Naga Komodo company are working together to protect the park’s vast resources and biodiversity (on land and sea) and replenish the fishing grounds with commercially bred fish.
The main challenge is to reduce threats to resources and conflicts between incompatible activities. Both sides have a long-term commitment to protect the marine biodiversity of Komodo National Park.
Komodo population and project area
The National Park includes several islands, the most famous of which are Rinca and Komodo, which are not far from each other. Both are home to the dragon.
Komodo Island is covered mostly by rainforest. Rinca Island is primarily a savannah, home to around 1,300 Komodo dragons, and the favourite spot of photo enthusiasts. Rinca's Komodo are much more aggressive with visitors due to its hot climate and smaller trees.
Animals are also less rare on Rinca compared to Komodo Island.
Loh Buaya Resort is located on Rinca Island.
Recent numbers for komodo dragon:
2018: 2,897.
2019: 3022
Loh Buaya Hill covers 500 hectares, or 2,5 per cent Rinca Island’s 20,000 hectares.
The Komodo National Park covers an area of 173,000 hectares, 33.76 per cent land and 66.24 per cent sea.
Of the total area of Komodo National Park, the theme park will cover only 824 hectares of land (0.4 per cent) and 1,584 hectares of the sea (0.95 per cent), a local official said.
Komodo National Park has earned its international status through the following designations:
1977: World Biosphere Reserve
1991: World Heritage
The Komodo dragon or Komodo monitor is the largest and heaviest lizard in the world. Fossils indicate that its origins go back millions of years.
A recent study found that the lizard may have evolved in Australia, but today the animal can be found only in the wild on Rinca and Komodo Islands in NTT province, a source of pride for the locals who live alongside them.
(Photo by Gregorius Afioma)
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12/02/2016 15:14
