Indonesia: Limitation of tourist visits to prevent komodo extinction

Aloysius Lewokeda Antara 16 Apr 18;

Kupang, E Nusa Tenggara (ANTARA News) - Komodo National Park is still awaiting the results of a study on the carrying capacity for the limitation of the number of tourists to the Komodo tourist area.

"We are reviewing the carrying capacity of various spots within the Komodo tourist area to determine the level of tolerance of natural resources available to the number of tourist visits," Head of Komodo National Park, Budi Kurniawan, stated here on Monday.

He noted that the Komodo National Park Authority plans to limit the number of visitors in order to prevent the stress faced by Komodo. Recently, the carrying capacity study has been conducted on more than 40 tourist spots in the Komodo tourist area.

Eleven of these dozens of spots have been studied and identified by World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), especially for dive spots.

According to Kurniawan, Center for Eco-region Development Control (P3E) of Bali and Nusa Tenggara, along with the World Bank, is reviewing the spots that the WWF has not yet identified, including land tourist spots.

This study is expected to be completed in 2018, so that the relevant authorities can issue a policy to manage the number of tourists to the spots.

"The results of this study will reveal the maximum number of visitors who can visit the spots every day," he remarked.

Furthermore, the tolerance of the number of tourist visits to the conservation area cannot be estimated because it is dynamically related to ecosystem conditions.

According to Kurniawan, certain tourist destinations in Komodo Island can be closed at certain times to prevent the extinction of Komodo.

"Hopefully, this study estimates the maximum number of visits that are still tolerant related to the impact on the existing natural resource conditions," he revealed.

Editor: Bustanuddin