Komodo National Park: The Only Home of Komodo Dragons in Peril

This paper was submitted for World Heritage Watch Report 2021.
Wahana Lingkungan Hidup Indonesia (Friends of the Earth Indonesia) and Sunspirit for Justice and Peace

Komodo National Park (KNP) is the natural habitat for Komodo dragons (Varanus komodoensis), the world’s largest surviving lizard with only 3,022 specimens remaining in the habitat. The park provides refuge for other notable terrestrial and critically endangered species, and it is also the home of the Ata Modo and Ata Bajo indigenous peoples who have dwelled in the area for centuries. Located in Manggarai Barat District, Flores, East Nusa Tenggara Province, Eastern Indonesia, Komodo NP is an archipelago region consisting of three main islands - Komodo, Rinca and Padar - and numerous small islands. In 1977, UNESCO recognized Komodo, Rinca and Padar Island as a “Man and Biosphere Reserve”. In 1991, UNESCO declared Komodo National Park (KNP) as a World Heritage site for its superlative natural beauty, the Komodo dragon, marine and terrestrial biodiversity.

Today, KNP is facing threats that will directly harm the Komodo ecosystem and the existence of the indigenous peoples who live in the park. In the past two decades, mass tourism and deer smuggling put the sustainability of ecosystems in KNP at a higher risk. The government, however, has exacerbated conditions in the park by pushing tourism investment.

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Komodo National Park: The Only Home of Komodo Dragons in Peril