The Komodo National Park project on Rinca Island, East Nusa Tenggara, part of the strategic national tourist destinations program, must pay attention to various aspects, including environmental preservation.
JAKARTA, KOMPAS – The Komodo National Park project on Rinca Island, East Nusa Tenggara, part of the strategic national tourist destinations program, must pay attention to various aspects, including environmental preservation. This is important because the island is part of a biosphere reserve that is an important habitat for Komodo dragons.
The Public Works and Housing Ministry is developing Rinca Island, including redesigning Loh Buaya Port. The project is part of the development of the Labuan Bajo National Strategic Tourism Area (KSPN),
Activities in the project, such as the use of trucks and other heavy equipment in the conservation area, have come under public scrutiny since a photo showing a Komodo dragon facing a truck on Rinca Island recently went viral.
Public policy observer, Agus Pambagio, said there were pros and cons in the development of the Labuhan Bajo tourism area, which includes the habitat for the Komodo dragons. The protests have arisen because under the existing law, the Komodo dragon ecosystem has to be maintained.
"Law No. 5/1990 on the conservation of natural resources and ecosystems requires the maintenance of such ecosystems," said Agus in Jakarta on Tuesday (27/10/2020).
Agus said a study should be carried out to determine zoning in a conservation area so that the preservation of habitat, including protected animals can be achieved.
Law No. 5/1990 on the conservation of natural resources and ecosystems requires the maintenance of such ecosystems
Kompas/Agus Susanto
Foreign tourists take photos of Komodo
The coordinator of the Komodo Survival Program, Deni Purwandana hoped that the developer had already established a strategy to minimize the impact of the development on the habitat and its species.
"Among our recommendations for the existing ecotourism activities are minimizing disturbance, for example, to active nests during the months when female Komodo dragons are guarding their nests," said Deni. He said that he did not follow the planning process until the implementation of the project on Rinca Island.
Influence
In a study entitled "Effects of Human Activities on Komodo Dragons in the Komodo National Park" published in the Biodiversity and Conservation journal (2018) of which Deni was one of the authors, influences were cited of human activities on individual traits/behavior of the Komodo dragon population.
Researchers found that the dragons exposed to ecotourism had a greater body mass, better body condition and higher survival abilities. This is because ecotourism activities, such as allowing tourists to feed them and the provision of a long-term nutrition program for the Komodo dragon.
However, there are also negative consequences of the changes in the behavior such as a decrease in the alertness of the dragons and a change in the demographic structure as a result of competition between species. To overcome these, researchers suggest stopping the provision of nutrition/food by humans, developing alternative ecotourism and rearranging the ecotourism space.
Regarding the project on Rinca, the director general of human settlements at the public works ministry, Danis H Sumadilaga, said that the arrangement of the area was carried out carefully and protected the habitat of the community in Komodo National Park.
Kompas/Agus Susanto
Komodo dragon
The development of Rinca Island was carried out following the signing of a cooperation agreement on July 15 between by the public works ministry (the Directorate General of Human Settlements and Directorate General of Water Resources) and the Environment and Forestry Ministry (Directorate General of Conservation of Natural Resources and Ecosystems).
The arrangements on Rinca, include the reconstruction of Loh Buaya Port; a coastal protection project, which functions as a pathway for access to outside the area; an elevated deck that functions as an access road connecting the port; and an information center as well as lodging for rangers, guides and researchers equipped with a Komodo dragon monitoring and research post.
This development is part of the restructuring of the Labuan Bajo strategic tourism area. The environmental permit for construction activities in Pasir Panjang village, Komodo district, West Manggarai Regency, was issued on Sept. 4.
The director general of conservation of natural resources and ecosystems, Wiratno, said in a press release that the use of trucks to transport construction materials could not be avoided because it would be impossible to only use human labor.
However, he emphasized, the use of heavy equipment, such as trucks and excavators, in the construction project on the island of Rinca was carried out according to strict precautionary measures. All activities are supervised by between five and 10 security officers to ensure the safety of the Komodo dragons and project workers.
