Komodo Release in Indonesian (../files/komodo_ind.pdf) The Nature Conservancy in Indonesia Press Releases Search All Press Releases Ahmad Fuadi Phone: 62 8111904055 E-mail: afuadi@tnc.org

The Nature Conservancy Applauds New Ecotourism Opportunities for Komodo National Park

Innovative private-public sector Putri Naga Komodo and partners set to unveil new visitor facilities in Indonesia’s most iconic tourism jewel

NUSA DUA, INDONESIA — December 15, 2007 — The Nature Conservancy marked the opening of a new ecotourism facility at Komodo National Park and celebrated more than a decade of accomplishments that have helped to protect the region and improve the lives of people who live there.

Ecotourism operations in Komodo are run by PT. Putri Naga Komodo (PNK), a joint venture owned by The Nature Conservancy, an international conservation non-governmental organization, with some support from private investors.

During Saturday’s ceremony, PNK will unveil new visitor facilities in its ecotourism management concession area, including a visitor reception building and combined restaurant and retail outlet. This represents the first phase of new development, and it is the result of commitment and concerted efforts by Komodo National Park, Government of West Manggari, Jaytasya Putrindo Utama, and local communities in Komodo.

“We’re continuing to improve the visitor experience in this iconic World Heritage Site, one of Indonesia’s most precious jewels. Our vision is to position the Park as a World Heritage Site in Indonesia and the region and to support the Ministry of Forestry and the Park Authority with a shared aim in which stakeholders work collectively to protect it,” explains Rili Djohani, Indonesia Country Director for The Nature Conservancy.

When The Nature Conservancy started working in Komodo over ten years ago, it put into action a sweeping program to protect the Park’s diverse ecosystems from a variety of threats, including destructive fishing practices such as blast-, cyanide- and over-fishing, which have devastated the Park’s coral reefs and fish populations.

Some activities, such as community awareness, constituency building, monitoring and enforcing the ban on blast fishing were implemented immediately, and consequently blast fishing incidence in the Park decreased by 90 percent. Live coral recovery has since increased by 60 percent.

Other efforts in Komodo have included training and capacity building for Park staff and local people and village-based women’s cooperatives to produce hand-made, environmentally-friendly souvenirs for visitors in recognition of their contribution to conservation fund. PNK earlier this year set up three village-based financial management units and began distributing micro funds to approved creditors from Park communities in support of sustainable community development.

The greatest immediate threat to the Park remains that the no-fishing zones in the Park are not enforced. To prevent over-fishing – and monitoring of fish spawning aggregation sites reveals a continued decline in target fish populations – The Nature Conservancy provides the park with equipment and infrastructure, including floating ranger stations, to support surveillance and enforcement within the park boundaries.

Formed in 2005, PNK is a unique public private partnership, which supports the Komodo National Park Authority with the collection of revenues from visiting tourists and by making resources and facilities available for Park and tourism management. PNK is under the patronage of the Directorate General of Forest Protection and Nature Conservation (PHKA), Ministry of Forestry and supported by The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) through the International Finance Corporation (IFC).

Although incorporated as business enterprise, PNK is structured so that all profits to support the management of the Park. PNK has also been granted a 30-year license by the Indonesian Ministry of Forestry to develop and manage an ecotourism concession in the Park.

More on The Nature Conservancy’s Indonesia Program

Starting with a program to support the management of the Lore Lindu National Park in 1991, TNC is now implementing six terrestrial and marine conservation programs in East Kalimantan, Central and Southeast Sulawesi, West Papua, and in Komodo, East Nusa Tenggara. Operating in Indonesia through a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Forestry and the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, TNC is working in partnerships with the national and district governments, local communities, NGOs, and the private sector.

Other examples of tangible results across Indonesia are:

• In Lore Lindu National Park, Community Conservation Agreements give local communities a legal voice in the management of their traditional lands, including monitoring forest health.
• In Derawan, Berau, the local government has declared a 1.27 million hectare marine protected area, the first ever done by a local government serving as an example throughout the country.
• In Wakatobi, Park authority, district government and community members are working hand-in-hand in developing park zoning in which 11 conservation targets are considered for zoning design
• In East Kalimantan, timber companies and the world’s largest wood purchasers have joined efforts to save one of the few remaining homes for wild orangutans and one of the world’s last great stretches of rainforest.
• In Raja Ampat, West Papua, the local government and people declared seven marine protected areas covering an area of some 600,000 hectares or 32% of its marine waters.

The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 15 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 102 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org.