East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) Governor Viktor Bungtilu Laiskodat has on several occasions proposed for the temporary closure of Komodo National Park and eventual handover of its management to the provincial administration. The Jakarta Post’s correspondent, Markus Makur, takes a closer look at the issue and presents his findings in this Special Report.
As a conservation area, Komodo National Park in West Manggarai regency, Flores, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), is by law under the responsibility of the central government, specifically the Environment and Forestry Ministry. The park’s management and every decision made related to the park is under the authority of the ministry.
A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Komodo National Park is composed of several islands apart from Komodo Island, including Padar and Rinca, as well as other islets.
Komodo dragons are a rare, protected species endemic to the park and some other regencies in Flores, NTT.
As a tourist center, it is the only place in the world where visitors can watch Komodo dragons in their habitat. This fact has attracted tourists all over the world and made this national park one of the most popular tourist destinations in Indonesia.
Since November 2018, the NTT provincial administration has voiced its intention to take over the park’s management from the Environment and Forestry Ministry, proposing a 50-fold admission fee increase for tourists to US$500 as well as the temporary closure of Komodo Island for renovations.
By the end of March, the police uncovered an illicit trading network belonging to a syndicate in East Java that was plotting to smuggle five Komodo dragons and had already sold 41 others to buyers abroad, which further strengthened the NTT provincial administration’s plan to gain management control of the park.
Komodo Island is slated to close for one year, starting from January 2020. However, the move hinges on an Environment and Forestry Ministry evaluation that will be announced in August this year.
The Association of Indonesian Tours and Travel Agencies ‘s (ASITA) West Manggarai executive chairman, Donatus Matur, told The Jakarta Post on April 23 that so far, there had been no research made in connection with the closure of Loh Liang, a key spot in the Komodo National Park.
There was a report about the presence of an interministerial study team coordinated by the Environment and Forestry Ministry, but tourism business agencies and the West Manggarai administration do not know when the team plans to conduct its survey.
“We’re waiting for the study team’s field survey of the park to ask for the views of local residents and consult the West Manggarai regency administration. In fact, not the entire park will be closed, but only the Loh Liang area on Komodo Island,” Donatus said.
He suggested that the plan involve residents of villages across Komodo, Rinca, Papagarang and those living in the park, in view of the fact that one of their main sources of livelihood comes from foreign and domestic tourist arrivals.
According to Donatus, if experts from various disciplines and universities in Indonesia find that the population of Komodo dragons continues to decline due to decreasing prey to feed on, this is acceptable to all tourism business players. But if the discourse is based on the comments from a provincial leader, it will have an extensive impact on the local economy.
He referred to the arrival of foreign and domestic tourists on cruise ships that can only berth at and visit Loh Liang. If Loh Liang closed, cruise ships can no longer visit the area, which will harm the interests of all parties.
“The Komodo National Park is the primary destination of many tourists who want to watch Komodo dragons in the wild,” he added.
Donatus also described the ever-increasing island village population as another issue faced by the park. To overcome this, he suggested that the government consider relocating the people around the park.
West Manggarai environment and tourism activist Martha Muslin recently told the Post that the NTT governor’s statement on the temporary closure of Loh Liang had been hastily made and without any adequate scientific study. It was not made for conservation reasons.
Martha noted that tourist activities had considerably supported conservation, including within the Komodo National Park
“If the closure goes through in January 2020, there’s the fear that local residents will resume their former job of fishing by methods that are detrimental to the environment, such as destructive fishing,” she said.
She pointed to the park’s very different ecosystem from other national parks in Indonesia. Local people living within the park’s protected area have been coexisting with Komodo dragons for centuries, so the government should invite islanders to speak about the plan instead of only presenting the scheme unilaterally.

“The NTT provincial government should study [the closure and management plan] thoroughly, because it is easier said than done. It involves various binding rules of management set by the Environment and Forestry Ministry,” she emphasized.
According to her observations, the issue has affected West Manggarai and Flores Island, where foreign and local tourist arrivals are decreasing. Many of them have canceled their package tours to Labuan Bajo and Flores, impacting travel agencies, tourist guides and the West Manggarai community’s economy.
“Labuan Bajo is deserted and some tour guides will return to Bali instead,” she added.
Labuan Bajo Tourism Authority (BOP) president director Shana Fatina said on April 23 that there was no official decision from the ministry on a partial closure of the park, because no study had been conducted.
Shana stated the ministry and its team along with the Labuan Bajo BOP would only begin their field survey in West Manggarai at the end of April.
“There’s no official statement from the central government yet as it has to go through field research. The Labuan Bajo BOP has appealed the NTT provincial administration not to discuss the closure anymore. From the end of April to July, the team will carry out a study in West Manggarai and announce its results in August,” she said.
Shana also requested the media to refrain from publishing reports that may cause panic, so that foreign and domestic tourists would be willing to visit the Komodo National Park and Flores Island.
“We’ve informed the media at home and overseas that the NTT governor’s statement is not an official government decision. We’ve said the same thing to travel agents, tourism businesses and the local community. Data on foreign and domestic tourist visits at Komodo Airport show no decline yet,” she said.
Komodo Survival Program Indonesia researcher Achmad Ariefiandy, told the Post by phone that the Environment and Forestry Ministry, through its conservation directorate general, had announced that the matter would be on hold until the interministerial study was completed and its results discussed.
“At present, the team is conducting its field study and research along with the Komodo Survival Program institute. Results of this research will be deliberated in August to make a final decision on the matter,” he explained, adding that, so far, the Komodo dragon population within the park was stable.
The giant lizards in the northern and southern parts of Flores Island need to be jointly protected by the central government, provincial and regency administrations.
“The cooperation between central and regional governments on Flores Island should be studied to protect Komodo dragons there,” he said.
NTT Deputy Governor Josef Nai Soi when contacted by the Post said a budget for revising the park’s conservation plans during a partial closure would be jointly provided by the central government and NTT provincial administration.
“[Such plans are] important because the Komodo dragons in West Manggarai are acknowledged by the world,” he added.
Josef also said the provincial administration had prepared expert and competent personnel for the park’s revamp and management, and would cooperate with other parties in case of any skills shortages, while maintaining its collaboration with the Environment and Forestry Ministry.
Regarding Flores Island’s Komodo dragons, Josef assured that they would be taken care of by the relevant office of his government.
The Post took part in a Komodo expedition in the northern part of Flores Island with the Komodo Survival Program institute and the NTT Natural Resources Conservation Agency a few years ago. In the northern zone of Flores, Komodo dragons were found on Longos Island in West Manggarai, in the Pota forest area of East Manggarai, on Ontoloe Island in Ngada regency, as well as in Tanjung Watu Manuk, Sikka regency.
On the mainland of Flores Island, Komodo dragons could be found in the Wae Wuul forest area of Tanjung Kareta, in Mbeling and Sano Nggoang districts and also in the Nanga Bere forest area of South Lembor district.
History, legend of
Komodo Island
By: Markus Makur
The Jakarta Post/ West Manggarai, Flores, East Nusa Tenggara
Komodo Island, located in eastern Indonesia, has become an asset of national pride as one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature and at the same time the habitat of a rare reptile that has survived since ancient times, the Komodo dragon.
Komodo dragons, scientifically named Varanus komodoensis, are a lizard species found only in East Nusa Tenggara, specifically on the islands of Komodo, Rinca, Flores, Gili Motang and Gili Dasami. Locals often call the lizard Ora.
A member of the Varanidae family and Toxicofera clade, the Komodo dragon is the world’s largest lizard at an average length of 2-3 meters. The huge size has to do with the phenomenon of island gigantism, in which certain animals on small islands tend to be gigantic due to the absence of carnivorous mammals and as a result of their slow metabolism.
With their huge proportions, these lizards occupy the top position of the food chain where they live. The Komodo’s habitat has been shrinking, which is why the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed the Komodo dragon as a species vulnerable to extinction. The giant reptile is now protected under an Indonesian government regulation, and a national park has been established as a safe haven for the animal.
In fact, Komodo dragons are not the only appeal of the Komodo National Park (TNK). The website of the Environment and Forestry Ministry, which manages the park, also advertises the savanna and undersea scenery of the TNK as tourist attractions. Visitors have the choice of angling, snorkeling, diving, canoeing and boating in island waters. On land, nature tourism offers animal watching, hiking and camping.
Komodo lizards on Komodo Island were discovered around 1910 by a Dutch citizen. While hunting on the island, he encountered the giant reptiles by accident and documented them through photographs.
The photos were published at the Bogor Museum of Zoology, and in 1912, the document was widely publicized overseas. Before long, news about the existence of the huge lizards was circulating around the globe.
Scientists from many parts of the world came to the island to conduct research. Below are chronological records quoted from Loh Liang (a major TNK destination) about Komodo dragons on the island.
- 1910: Discovery of Komodo dragons by J. K. H van Steyn
- 1912: Scientific naming (Varanus Komodoensis) by P. A. Owens
- 1912: Decision to protect Komodo dragon by sultan of Bima
- 1926: Protection of Komodo dragon by the Manggarai administration
- 1930: Protection of Komodo dragon by the regional head of Flores
- 1931: Listing of Komodo dragon as species to be absolutely protected in Wildlife Protection Law
- 1938: Establishment of Rinca Island and Padar Island Wildlife Reserve
- 1965: Establishment of Komodo Island Wildlife Reserve
- 1980: Establishment of Komodo National Park
- 1991: Komodo National Park made UNESCO World Heritage Site
- 1992: Declaration of Komodo dragon as national wildlife species by Presidential Decree No. 4/1992
- 2013: Declaration of Komodo National Park as one of the New Seven World Wonders of Nature
Not only scientific history is recorded in Loh Liang, visitors can also learn about local folklore and legends about the Komodo dragon. One of those stories can be read on a banner put up on the island:
“Once upon a time there lived a woman called Lady Naga on an island. The woman was married to a man from another region named Moja.
Thereafter, the lady conceived and gave birth to twin baby boys, but the twins were of different physical form. One was a human and the other took on the form of a lizard. This embarrassed Lady Naga and Moja.
Later the baby in lizard form, named Orah, was set out in a forest on another island, while the human baby was taken care of and named Gerong.
As time went by Gerong grew into an agile and courageous youngster. One day, when Gerong was going to hunt deer in a forest, he came across a giant lizard.
Gerong was chasing the huge lizard, eager to kill it with a spear. Suddenly, Lady Naga emerged and prevented Gerong from taking aim at the giant reptile.
Lady Naga told Gerong that the giant lizard was a Komodo dragon, and the twin sibling of Gerong. Following the incident, the locals treated the dragon decently.”
Komodo dragons live in the forest by hunting other animals such as deer, goats or boars. These giant lizards also live alongside the local community on Komodo Island up to this day.
Before the 1970s, Komodo islanders grew crops like corn, papaya, water melon, cassava and gourd. Traces of their plantations can still be found in Loh Liang, Komodo Island, Sebita and Loh Lawi. The activity was discontinued in 1975, when Komodo Island was made a biosphere reserve and national park.
Today, the significant development of ecotourism at the Komodo National Park gives residents a wide range of options for their livelihood. Many of them craft Komodo dragon figurines, others sell souvenirs or provide tourism services like cruises and home-stay accommodation and yet others make a living as tour guides.

Writer | : | Markus Makur |
Photographers | : | Markus Makur, Wendra Ajistyatama |
Managing Editor | : | Primastuti Handayani |
Desk Editors | : | Pandaya, Imanuddin Razak |
Art & Graphic Design Head | : | Budhi Button |
Technology | : | Mustopa, Sandy Riady Hasan, Abdul Harris, Adri Putranto |
Multimedia | : | Bayu Widhiatmoko |