Indonesia: Environment ministry to question NTT over plan to temporarily close Komodo park

The Jakarta Post 21 Jan 19;

The Environment and Forestry Ministry will summons representatives from the East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) administration to explain its plan to temporarily close Komodo National Park to visitors for one year.

“We will invite the NTT administration [for a discussion on Komodo]. It is not quite wise to decide it unilaterally and everything has procedures,” Minister Siti Nurbaya said on Monday as quoted by Antara. “We need to listen to what the local administration wants. We also need to listen to [input from] the Tourism Ministry, while we are assessing how and when the proposal will be implemented.”

Siti also warned the NTT administration that decisions regarding conservation areas were in fact solely under the jurisdiction of the central government.

Komodo National Park is the only place in the world where people can see the endangered Komodo dragons in their natural habitat. The park is also an official UNESCO World Heritage site.

NTT Governor Viktor Bungtilu Laiskodat was quoted by Antara last week as saying: “The NTT administration will make [the necessary] arrangements for Komodo National Park to improve it. We will close down the park for one year “

He did not announce the dates of the temporary closure, but said the move was part of efforts to increase the local population of Komodo dragons and deer, according to Antara.

Viktor planned late last year to raise the park’s entrance fee to at least US$500 as part of efforts to boost the profile of the conservation area.

The plan, however, has been met with opposition from the local community, with the West Manggarai Tourism Rescue Society Forum (Formapp Mabar) saying that a higher entry fee would decrease the number of tourist arrivals and subsequently lower the incomes of tourism operators and tour guides in the area, particularly in Labuan Bajo, which is the main hub for the park. (spl/ipa)


Ministry to clarify plan to close Komodo National Park
Antara 21 Jan 19;

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Forestry and Environment Ministry will summon the East Nusa Tenggara administration to discuss its plan to close Komodo National Park for a year.

"We will invite the East Nusa Tenggara government. It will not be good if the decision (to close the national park) is taken unilaterally," Forestry and Environment Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar stated here on Monday, Jan 21.

The ministry will learn from the local government and Tourism Ministry regarding the issue and seek a solution, including the transition period, she revealed.

Currently, the Komodo National Park is under the management of the Forestry and Environment Ministry.

"I have urged the Director General (of Natural Resource Conservation and Ecosystem) to check this issue, as the authority to manage the national park is with the central government," she noted.

The local administration can discuss it with the central government for inputs on the management of the national park.

"Hopefully, this week (the meeting). I have called for this meeting since last Friday," she added.

Earlier on Friday, East Nusa Tenggara Governor Viktor Bungtilu Laiskodat remarked that his administration had planned to shut down Komodo National Park for a year to increase the population of komodo dragons and its prey deer.

The governor stated that the habitat for komodo in West Manggarai District has steadily decreased, and the giant lizards have shrunk in size due to the declining population of deer.

However, Laiskodat confirmed on Monday that only Komodo Island will be closed, while other islands in the national park will remain open to tourists.

The park includes the three larger islands of Komodo, Padar, and Rinca, as well as 26 smaller ones.


Reporting by Martha Herlinawati S
Editing by Suharto
Editor: Azizah Fitriyanti

Komodo Park temporary shutdown plan meets resistance
Markus Makur and Dyaning Pangestika The Jakarta Post 27 Jan 19;

Tour operators around East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) have opposed the provincial administration’s plan to temporarily close Komodo National Park to visitors.

The chairman of the West Manggarai chapter of the Association of Indonesian Tour and Travel Agencies (ASITA West Manggarai), Donatur Matur, said the association, as well as tour operators around the province, firmly rejected the government’s plan to temporarily close the national park for improvements.

“A leader should think about what he says in public. Although it’s still being discussed, the media has already circulated this information,” Donatur told The Jakarta Post on Friday, referring to the statement made by NTT Governor Viktor Bungtilu Laiskodat announcing the closure plan.

The governor said the intended temporary closure was aimed at renovating park facilities and to boost the population of Komodo dragons and deer as well as improving the animals’ habitat.

According to Donatur, the announcement led to many tourists canceling their visits to the national park this year.

He also explained that the association was concerned about Viktor’s points regarding NTT’s tourism sector, such as a ban on budget hotel construction.

“I hope the governor will come to Labuan Bajo to discuss his plan with tour operators as well as the public and the Manggarai regency administration itself. The governor should hear what we have to say before arranging such plans,” Donatur said.

Concurring with Donatur’s concerns, West Manggarai Regent Agustinus Ch Dulla also said that he hoped the governor could coordinate with the regional administration before implementing his plans.

“We have to admit that the governor has good intentions. However, it would be better if he also invited the regional administration to discuss the matter,” he said.

Viktor said the park’s closure would last for a year.

“Our administration will make arrangements for the Komodo National Park,” he said as quoted by tempo.co on Friday. However, Viktor did not announce when the shutdown would start.

Located between Sumbawa and Flores islands, Komodo National Park is home to approximately 2,762 Komodo dragons as well as 3,900 deer. The park, an official UNESCO World Heritage, is also a popular destination for tourists, especially from overseas. The ministry recorded a significant increase in international tourists from 125,069 in 2017 to 159,217 in 2018.

The influx has triggered a number of environmental problems, including fires, that have affected the park’s landscape, prompting the NTT administration to consider some options as a solution.

Prior to the announcement, Viktor said that his administration would forbid the construction of budget hotels in Labuan Bajo, West Manggarai, arguing that budget hotels would hamper the growth of existing local businesses that provide accommodation.

The administration was also reportedly planning to raise the Komodo National Park’s entrance fee to at least US$500 as part of efforts to boost the conservation area’s “prestige”.

Responding to the planned closure, the Environment and Forestry Ministry asked the governor to reconsider his plan as it could significantly affect the community’s tourist economy.

“Speaking of the Komodo National Park, the governor needs to draft a thorough plan as it could significantly affect the area’s social and economic conditions,” said the ministry’s director general of natural resources and ecosystem conservation, Wiratno, in a written statement received by the Post on Saturday.

In the statement, he added that it was possible to close down a national park for a variety of reasons such as scientific projects or natural disasters like a volcanic eruption, extreme weather or habitat disruption.