Komodo, Indonesia Flashcards
Where is it located?
East Asia
What kind of environment is it?
Archipelago (many islands)
Many volcanic islands
What is the climate and terrain like?
Tropical but it is the driest area of Indonesia
May-October is dry season at 40 degrees
Tropical savannah & scrub vegetation (due to human deforestation)
What are some key features?
World Heritage Site Komodo National Park Part of Coral triangle in Pacific Most biodiverse marine area Many endemics
Why are living conditions bad?
High poverty (97% income from unreliable fishing) Low education Expensive to import freshwater $US 10-15 per family per month - Uncontrolled tourism - Rising sea levels
What do they rely on for their income?
Unsustainable/unreliable fishing
Why are the fishing practices poor?
Blast fishing
Cyanide fishing
Trap setting
Reef gleaning
Where does the pop. increase stem from and what does it result in?
Internal pop. growth & immigration
Overfishing, hunting, waste disposal, inappropriate farming
What is the result of rising sea levels?
- coral threatened
- mangroves threatened
- coral bleaching
- acidified oceans
What does the new plan involve?
Zoning principles of biosphere reserve management creating untouched wildlife reserves with areas of no human activity
Buffer zone between extreme terrestrial and extreme marine
Policies deterring activities which is likely to cause conflict
What have the Indonesian government done in terms of management? What conflict has this caused?
Banned leaving deer and goat meat for the Komodo dragons to feed on but the islanders believe the ancestors spirits lie in the dragons so they must leave gifts and sacrifices.
Banned dogs as alien species so locals don’t have any to scare the dragons away.
Who is involved in the management of Komodo?
National Park Authority, Directorate of General Forest Protection, Natural Conservation PHKA
Company - Putri Naga Komodo who are currently in charge implementing the project
World Bank
What has been the World Bank’s role?
Provided US$16.5 million in 2005
What improvements have been made in 2009?
Destructive fishing banned
60% improvement in coral health
Navy, police, ranger patrols caught illegal fishermen
5 new schools, mobile doctors and wells
Small scale seaweed farming
Komodo visitor centre providing jobs
‘No take’ zones and commercial zones built
Is there any negative to the ecotourism?
High risk of tourism doubling and getting out of control
What is their aim?
- To double toursim by 2012 to then self fund the management as the tourist entry fee is $US15-50
- expand ecotourism
- generate income for conservation
- provide jobs for locals
