Komodo National Park Research Articles

The Jurassic Park and Ata Modo in Eastern Indonesia

Famous for its distinctive Komodo dragons (Varanus Komodoensis) and features home to underwater ecosystems, the Komodo National Park (KNP) has become a prominent and favorite destination of visitors locally and globally in recent years. Situated in Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia, KNP has three prime islands: Rinca, Komodo, and Padar. The infrastructure development in KNP formulated in 2020 by the central government of Indonesia, including establishing offices, photograph areas, clinics, warehouses, public spaces, and tour guides' offices, raises controversy about this decision. While the government of Indonesia persuaded citizens that this erection was a conservation effort for protection, preservation, and utilization, UNESCO refused this plan by enacting a refusal document and assessing whether the development could affect the property's Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) before the review of the relevant environmental impact analysis by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Additionally, the local people argue this plan will threaten the giant lizard's habitat regarding the entry of heavy equipment and disadvantage local tourism actors. Using a systematic literature review method, this piece collects and discovers a different concept in the issue of infrastructure development in KNP instead of another scholar's perspective. Walpole and Goodwin (2000) find that economics and facilities are the prominent aspects of tourism, while UNESCO considers the environment in development. In contrast to popular belief, this paper indicates a significant role of local people, known as Ata Modo, in the KNP establishment. This paper's findings propose that Ata Modo, as local people/tribes in KNP, should not be relocated from their area and instead be involved in the decision-making process. The bottom-up approach can be executed as a practice in a democratic process. From the fiscal approach, this development will positively impact local people's economy through collaboration and stakeholder participation.

Unraveling Factors Influencing Local Willingness to Participate in Sustainable Komodo Conservation and Protected Area Tourism

Komodo National Park is at the forefront of balancing environmental conservation with the challenges and opportunities of sustainable tourism. This research delves into the attitudes and engagement levels of the local communities within Komodo's distinctive ecological context, aiming to unravel the factors that drive or hinder their involvement in sustainable tourism and conservation activities. Through Exploratory Factor Analysis, we distilled key influences on community engagement, followed by a K-Mean Cluster Analysis to segment the community by their involvement levels. Logistic Regression was then employed to explore the likelihood of continued participation in these initiatives. The analysis identified three primary factors affecting community participation: the degree of involvement in sustainable tourism activities, the extent of community and environmental involvement, and the level of awareness regarding tourism development policies. The Cluster Analysis illuminated diverse engagement patterns across demographic lines, revealing how differences in settlement type, income levels, marital status, gender, and age contribute to varied participation rates. Interestingly, the logistic regression pointed to a paradox where higher engagement in sustainable tourism correlates with a lower probability of future participation, hinting at possible sustainability fatigue among highly active community members. These intricate dynamics of community engagement in sustainable tourism within Komodo National Park, highlight the importance of tailored, demographic-specific approaches to foster inclusive participation in conservation efforts. The insights gained underscore the complexity of promoting sustainable tourism in sensitive ecological areas and offer critical recommendations for policymakers and conservation stakeholders aiming to enhance sustainable development in Komodo and similar settings globally.

Determinant of importance-performance and willingness to participate in Komodo adaptive conservation programs

This study delves into the evaluation of the Komodo dragons Adaptive Conservation Program (KACP) at Komodo National Park in Indonesia through Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA). It aims to understand how the programs components align with community priorities and assess its effectiveness. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach, this research analyzes community perceptions of KACP’s critical elements, spanning eco-tourism initiatives to environmental protection strategies. The community is categorized into local advocates, eco-tourism enthusiasts, and eco-community harmonizers, identifying how each group perceives and interacts with various facets of KACP. The findings reveal significant differences in perceptions of importance and performance among these groups, providing insights into areas of strength and those needing improvement. Additionally, the study includes an analysis of demographic influences on these perceptions through Logit and Probit models, aiming to understand the impacts across different community segments. The results highlight the necessity for an adaptive and responsive design in conservation efforts, considering community expectations and ecological impacts. Despite offering comprehensive insights, the study acknowledges limitations in the demographic scope and suggests future research directions, such as longitudinal studies and an expanded analysis of variables. These findings offer critical guidance for policymakers and conservation practitioners to enhance conservation programs’ effectiveness and community alignment, emphasizing the need to adapt to the challenges and changes introduced by KACP.

Effect of Social Media Marketing on Visit Intention and Willingness to Pay Premium Price for Ecotourism

Demand for ecotourism is increasing due to higher awareness of environmental damage and the hype in social media. To minimize over-tourism, the government is considering charging higher prices for ecotourism destinations that may cause a decline in the number of visitors. While the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) has been frequently used to explain tourists’ visit intention, it has not integrated the perceived social media marketing as the determinant of its antecedents and looked at the subsequent impact of visit intention, such as willingness to pay premium price. This study aims to examine the effect of perceived social media marketing on visit intention and willingness to pay premium price by using TPB as its theoretical basis and Komodo National Park as a study context. Data from 265 millennial and Generation Z tourists were tested using PLS-SEM that showed significant effects of perceived social media marketing on attitude toward the destination, subjective norms, and destination image, which together with perceived behavioral control subsequently affected visit intention. Finally, visit intention stimulates tourists’ willingness to pay a premium price to visit the destination.

Visitors Support for Komodo Dragon Conservation Fund

The designation of Komodo National Park as one of the New 7 Wonders in 2012 sparked increased tourism, resulting in growth in Labuan Bajo's hospitality sector, with low entry fees and stakeholders advocating for Komodo dragon conservation. Determining an appropriate entrance fee is crucial for park maintenance and Komodo dragon conservation. This study aims to analyze tourism trends, willingness to pay (WTP) for entrance fees, and willingness to contribute (WTC) to conservation funds. The analysis reveals a consistent rise in visitor numbers from 2015 to 2019, along with significant growth in non-tax revenue, hotel accommodation, and bed capacity from 2010 to 2019. Tourists exhibit strong support for Komodo conservation with a notable USD 25.573 in WTP for domestic visitors and 39.4 for foreign tourists. Respondents express readiness to contribute to conservation funds. Government agencies, local communities, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are favored to manage the conservation fund. The preservation of Komodo dragons has a positive impact on ecosystem balance and economic improvement from tourism.

Komodo National Park Destination Marketing Strategy In Increasing Tourist Visit Numbers

Marketing strategy is an important aspect in increasing the number of tourist visits. In this research, the marketing strategy is carried out by the Komodo National Park, namely a conservation area. Marketing strategies, namely promotional strategies, are very important for visitors who visit Komodo National Park. The research method is qualitative research using primary and secondary data. The results of the research are marketing strategies seen from promotional strategies to increase the number of visitors visiting Komodo National Park.

An Ethogram for Komodo Dragon (Varanus komodoensis) in the Wild

The Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis) of East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia, is an endemic species protected by Indonesian law, mostly due to its population size and limited distribution. The natural distribution of the Komodo dragon is limited to Komodo National Park and several areas on the island of Flores and its surroundings. However, increasing population and tourism in its natural habitat might increase the conflict between the Komodo dragon and humans. To study the impact of human activities on the behavior of the Komodo dragon, we constructed an ethogram to catalog the behavioral inventories of the Komodo to enable future quantitative comparison. The Komodo dragon ethogram was obtained from observations in Loh Buaya and Loh Baru Resorts, Rinca Island, Komodo National Park. Observations were made on 10 adult males, 13 adult females, 12 sub-adult, and 3 juvenile Komodo dragons. Data were collected during July-September 2019, February-March 2020, and June-September 2020. Based on observations, observed behavior was grouped into 9 categories based on their function. Among them are sexual behavior, parental behavior, antagonistic behavior, ingestion/egestion, maintenance, movement, resting, and investigative.

Overtourism and Tourism Sustainable Management in the Komodo National Park, Indonesia

Summary Tourism is a central driver of economic growth and prosperity in Indonesia with Bali as arguably its best known and most successful destination. To replicate the success of Bali, disperse visitors and deliver economic outcomes to other regions in Indonesia, the Indonesian Government has identified five super-priority destinations to be the future ‘New Balis’. Labuan Bajo is identified as one such destination. It is the gateway to the Komodo National Park which is famous for its Komodo Dragons. It is also popular among scuba divers due to its high marine biodiversity, including over 1000 fish species and 260 coral species. Labuan Bajo also hosted the G20 side event and ASEAN Summit in 2023, attracting further global attention to the region. In many ways, Labuan Bajo is seen as another tourism success story. Information © The Authors 2024

Tourist Growth and Adaptation of Local Community in Komodo National Park and Labuan Bajo, Manggarai Barat Regency, Indonesia

Tourist Growth and Adaptation of Local Community in Komodo National Park and Labuan Bajo, Manggarai Barat Regency, Indonesia

Transformasi dan Marginalisasi Masyarakat Adat: Suku Ata Modo di Tengah Hegemoni Pengembangan Pariwisata Taman Nasional Komodo

The massive development of tourism in Komodo National Park (KNP) has had a signi;icant impact on the local community there, in this case the Ata Modo Tribe. This tribe is a local tribe that has remained silent for a long time and was formed on Komodo Island long before the Komodo National Park was established. They have also lived side by side with the endangered Komodo dragon for decades and tried to maintain their culture and customs amidst the existence of KNP tourism development. This research tries to answer what cultural potential is still maintained by the Ata Modo Tribe, the position of the Ata Modo Tribe as a Customary Law Community unit, as well as the socio-economic, cultural and environmental impacts that occur amidst KNP tourism hegemony. The study in this research uses a type of socio-legal research. Various primary and secondary data were formulated and analyzed to obtain descriptive conclusions for each problem formulation question. The research results obtained are ;irst that the Ata Modo tribe has cultural potential in accordance with the seven elements of culture consisting of language, knowledge system, social organization, technology, livelihood system, belief system and art. Second, the absence of recognition and determination of the Ata Modo Tribe as a Customary Law Community unit through legal products at the regional level provides opportunities for conflicts of interest and override of their customary rights. Third, the Ata Modo tribe has transformed coercively due to the existence of KNP tourism. Regulations established as a means of conservation of the Komodo National Park encourage a coercive transformation of the culture of the Ata Modo people.

EKSPLORASI POTENSI TAMAN NASIONAL KOMODO: PENDEKATAN PENGEMBANGAN PAKET WISATA BERBASIS WISATA BAHARI


 
 
 Komodo National Park. The purpose of this research is to find out the potential and packaging of marine tourism packages that have not been optimized in Komodo National Park.Data collection techniques in this study are observation, interviews, literature studies and documentation. The informant determination technique in this study is purposive sampling. The analysis technique used is qualitative descriptive. The results of this study show that in Komodo National Park there are fourteen potential Marine tourism. The marine tourism potential consists of Pink Beach, Siaba Besar, Kanawa Island, Batu Bolong, Kalong Island, Crystal Rock, Taka Makassar, The Cauldron, Manta Point, Kelor Island, Waecicu Beach, Pede Beach, Rangko Cave and Ujung Village. These potentials can be packaged into 3 tour packages, namely, Komodo Dive Tour with Full Day Tour activities, Labuan Bajo City Tour with Full Day Tour tourism activities and Komodo Oversea Tour with 3 day 2 tour activities Nights.
 
 

Pros and Cons Tourism Development in Komodo National Park, Indonesia

The rapid tourism development of Komodo National Park (KNP) as part of the restructuring of the Labuan Bajo strategic tourism area in Indonesia has aroused concerns. The conservation area within the biosphere reserve plays a pivotal role in preserving the natural environment and essential resources necessary for the survival and habitat of Komodo dragons. The global dissemination of social, economic, environmental, and conservation issues through the media has garnered significant attention. This study examines the local perspectives on tourism development in KNP. A qualitative method was employed through in-depth interviews with stakeholders such as local communities, government, NGOs, educators, indigenous, entrepreneurs, and travel agencies. This study found that destination development has altered their socioeconomic which is perceived as benefits and drawbacks. This study contributes to tourism development literature. This research suggests that KNP management, government, and stakeholders involved in the project planning need to consider local involvement to facilitate sustainable outcomes.

Pros and Cons Tourism Development in Komodo National Park, Indonesia

The rapid tourism development of Komodo National Park (KNP) as part of the restructuring of the Labuan Bajo strategic tourism area in Indonesia has aroused concerns. The conservation area within the biosphere reserve plays a pivotal role in preserving the natural environment and essential resources necessary for the survival and habitat of Komodo dragons. The global dissemination of social, economic, environmental, and conservation issues through the media has garnered significant attention. This study examines the local perspectives on tourism development in KNP. A qualitative method was employed through in-depth interviews with stakeholders such as local communities, government, NGOs, educators, indigenous, entrepreneurs, and travel agencies. This study found that destination development has altered their socioeconomic which is perceived as benefits and drawbacks. This study contributes to tourism development literature. This research suggests that KNP management, government, and stakeholders involved in the project planning need to consider local involvement to facilitate sustainable outcomes.

Multi-stakeholder Collaboration In Improving the Quality of Local Human Resources in Super-Priority Tourism Destination Labuan Bajo Manggarai Regency

Objective: This research aims to explore the dynamics of collaboration between stakeholders and the strategies implemented by a combination of stakeholders in improving the quality of local human resources in Labuan Bajo, West Manggarai Regency. Theoretical Framework: Data from the Central Bureau of Statistics for 2021 and 2022 regarding West Manggarai Regency shows a labor force of 158,269, 150,499 employed, and 7,770 unemployed. 4.91% of the people are unemployed. Local human resources who are working: 59% are elementary school graduates,13% are junior high school graduates, 15% are high school graduates, and 13% are University graduates. As many as 64.71% work in the agricultural sector. There are 164 villages, five sub-districts, and 94 tourism villages. Strong collaboration between stakeholders is needed to empower local communities. The right strategy can accelerate the improvement of the quality of local human resources. Realizing a sustainable destination requires the involvement of local communities. Method: This research uses a qualitative method with a case study approach. Data collection techniques were conducted using in-depth interviews, observation, and literature study. The sample selection technique uses purposive sampling. Results: Stakeholders empowering local communities are academics, the tourism industry, NGOs, community groups, central and regional governments, and the media. The challenges faced in stakeholder collaboration are a lack of understanding of the concept of sustainable super premium tourism destination, the pros and cons between stakeholders regarding tourism development direction policies, and the lack of digital infrastructure in villages. The joint stakeholder strategy in building local human resources is implemented by strengthening local human resources to improve the economy, strengthening local human resources through education and training, building local human resources to care about the environment and culture, empowering human resources in tourism villages, and strengthening human resources in the Regional Government and Komodo National Park Center. Conclusion: Labuan Bajo Flores Tourism Authority (BPOLBP) is the leading actor in building stakeholder collaboration. Strong collaboration between stakeholders and the right strategy is needed to improve the quality of human resources. The involvement of local human resources helps the sustainability of tourist destinations. Originality/Value: The unique value of this research is 1). Strong involvement of central government in empowering local communities. 2). A joint stakeholder strategy to improve the quality of local human resources to participate in the development of premium tourism.

The Effect of International Tourist Arrivals on Regional Development in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) Province

The government of Indonesia has established Komodo National Park as one of the priority tourist destinations since 2015 to stimulate the number of international tourist arrivals to Komodo National Park, located in West Manggarai Regency, East Nusa Tenggara Province (NTT). This study aims to analyze the spillover effect of the surge of international tourists in Komodo National Park and its impact on the regional economy in NTT. This study used the Spatial Autoregressive (SAR) and Spatial Durbin Model (SDM) methods on district-level data from 2012 to 2018 and found that the surge of international tourists visiting Komodo National Park had a positive and significant spillover effect on the increase of tourism activities in other tourist destinations in NTT. The rise of tourism activity impacted regional economic growth significantly in West Manggarai Regency and other districts in NTT, and the tourism growth positively influenced the regional economic convergence in NTT.

Behavioral Response of Komodo Dragons (Va- ranus komodoensis OUWENS, 1912) During Mating and Nesting Periods towards Tourist Presence in Loh Buaya, Komodo National Park

It has been recognized in many studies that wildlife tourism practices might generate a negative impact on wildlife, particularly during the reproductive period. Some wildlife may lower their sensitivity towards tourist presence, for instance in Komodo. Understanding to what extenthabituation occurs in Komodo would be necessary for tourism management in Komodo National Park (KNP). Therefore, this study aimed to identify the response of Komodo to tourist presence during mating and nesting activities. The observation was conducted in Loh Buaya, which is one of the tourism sites in KNP. Komodo’s responses were divided into (1) avoidance; (2) neutral; and (3) aggressive under categorized stimulus: tourist number (i.e., < 5 persons; 5-10 persons; and > 10 persons) and distance (i.e., < 5 m; 5-10 m; and > 10 m). Correlation analysis was performed to identify any influences on mating and nesting activities. Our results revealed that Komodo inhabiting tourism facilities havebeen habituated to tourist presence. Different tourist frequencies did not influence Komodo mating activities (r(20)= 0.036, p=0.873), the nest preparing activity (i.e., digging proportion; r(22)= 0.054, p=0.803) and the guarding activity (i.e., nesting proportion; r(22)= 0.314, p=0.135).Nevertheless, our results indicated possible impacts due to tourism activities and its supporting facilities, such as dominated mating pairs, threats to female reproductive success, and human-Komodo conflicts. Therefore, habituation evi- dence must be carefully considered in order todevelop more corresponding strategies and achieve sustainable tourism practices.

Modelling of Carrying Capacity at Komodo National Park: System Dynamics Approach (Case Study: Komodo Island and Padar Island, East Nusa Tenggara Province)

Komodo (Varanus komodoensis) with its wildlife is the only one in the world that lives in the Komodo National Park (KNP), East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. The conservation efforts are carried out by considering the carrying capacity to remain in line with the principles of sustainable tourism management. This study aims to analyze the carrying capacity of the visits carrying capacity on Komodo Island and Padar Island. The method used in this research is system dynamics analysis. The number of Komodo dragons in 2045 is estimated to increase to 4000-4500 Komodo dragons in KNP or around 2500 Komodo dragons in Komodo Island and Padar Island since the number of preys is still quite available in their habitat. However, without the implementation of low carbon development, there will be pressure on its population, which can drop to 800-900 Komodo dragons both on Komodo Island and Padar Island. Meanwhile, the temperature increase occurs until the year 2045 which reaches 0.8°C. In terms of the ideal number of visits on Komodo Island based on the carrying capacity calculation of 219,000 visits/year, on Padar Island the ideal number of visits is 39,420 visits/year and it can be still increased up to 2-2.5 times

Predicting of Komodo dragon's potential prey habitat suitability using MaxEnt in Riung Nature Reserve, Flores, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia

Abstract. Pramatana F, Aini Y, Rammang N, Mau YS, Arsa IGBA, Mahmud A. 2023. Predicting of Komodo dragon's potential prey habitat suitability using MaxEnt in Riung Nature Reserve, Flores East Nusa Tenggara. Biodiversitas 24: 3128-3139. The Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis Ouwens, 1912) is a big lizard species from the Varanidae family that belongs to the Endangered category (EN) listed on the IUCN red list and Appendix I CITES. This study aimed to reveal the distribution of potential preys Komodo dragons in Rinca Island, Komodo National Park, Manggarai District, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia, using Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt), which was collected using rapid assessment methods. The presences of the Komodo dragon's potential prey come from direct and indirect observation or previous studies. We collected 510 points of Komodo dragon prey presence in Riung, Ngada District, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia from six species, including cattle, but only used 127 points for analysis based on the correlation. Long-tailed macaque, wild boar, civet, Timor deer, feral horses, and cows were the potential prey for komodo in Riung. Most of the points come from cattle, such as cows. On the other hand, we used environmental habitat to represent prey habitats such as elevation, slope, land surface temperature, moisture index, vegetation index, and distance from specific objects such as distance from agriculture, rivers, road, savanna, and settlement. Komodo dragon's potential prey in Riung was distributed in savanna, mangrove, and lowland forest. The result showed three suitable habitats for the Komodo dragon's potential prey dominated by low and moderate-suitability areas.

The Effect of Service Quality and Domestic Tourist Satisfaction on Intention to Revisit Marine Tourism in Komodo National Park

Issues occurred in marine tourism Komodo National Park can affect the satisfaction of tourists which threatens the sustainability of tourism. This research intends to examine the effect of service quality on domestic tourist satisfaction and revisit intention of 100 domestic tourists who had visited marine tourism in Komodo National Park. Data were collected through observation, questionnaire, and documentation using purposive sampling. Concepts used are service quality, satisfaction, and revisit intention. The measurement model (Convergent Validity, Discriminant Validity, Composite Reliability, and Cronbach Alpha) and structural model (model fit, R Square, Path Coefficient, T-Statistics, Predictive Relevance (Q2), and Path Coefficient) tests were utilized to evaluate the data using SEM PLS student version (3.0). The result shows that the service quality positively and significantly affects the satisfaction as well as the intention to revisit of domestic tourists in marine tourism at Komodo National Park. This indicates that customer satisfaction and intention to revisit are closely associated with service quality. In addition, satisfaction provides a partial mediation effect between service quality and intention to revisit. In other words, service quality can influences domestic tourists' intentions to revisit marine tourism in Komodo National Park with the mediation of satisfaction or without the mediation of satisfaction.

Komunikasi Publik Pemprov NTT Terkait Kenaikan Tiket

This study aims to evaluate public communications made by the East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) provincial government (Pemprov) regarding the increase in the entrance fee for the Komodo National Park (TNK) area. As is known, the decision caused polemic in the community due to communication errors. The research data collection was carried out using primary data, namely conducting in-depth interviews and documentation as well as secondary data in the form of literature studies. Interviews were conducted with informants and documentation as well as secondary data in the form of literature studies. The results of the study show that the NTT Provincial Government's public communication in the future must pay attention to aspects of openness, public participation, optimizing communication media and communication skills in conveying new policies to the public.