GC Supports Global Park Defense in Komodo World Heritage Park

Nestled in the heart of Indonesia’s archipelago lie the volcanic islands of Komodo National Park (KNP). Rolling green hills, dry savannahs, and white and pink sand beaches make up the park’s 3 large islands (Komodo, Padar and Rinca) and a legion of other smaller islands, surrounded by clear blue water. Under the ocean’s surface, manta rays, whale sharks, and over a thousand species of tropical fish thrive among an abundance of other species of animals and corals. On land, deer and buffalo roam beside the park’s most famous animal: the Komodo dragon.

There is evidence that the evolutionary development of the Komodo dragon originated in Australia roughly 3.8 million years ago. They once lived across a huge range, spanning Indonesia’s islands and Australia, but since the 1970s, KNP has been the only place in the world where they can be found.

It is unsurprising that these lizards are called “dragons”: Often weighing more than 300 pounds, these giant lizards can grow up to 10 feet long, run as fast as 12 miles (19 km) per hour, smell blood from almost 6 miles away, and deliver a powerful bite with venom strong enough to kill a human. As the largest, most aggressive animal in the park, they are at the top of the food chain.

While they eat a wide variety of animals, ranging from rats to adult buffalo, their numbers have significantly declined. There are now fewer than 3,500 dragons left in the park due to human-caused habitat loss, illegal hunting, and climate change. Consequently, they are classified as Endangered on IUCN’s Red list. 

KSP team members and KNP rangers conduct a preliminary survey of KNP. Photo courtesy KSP.

KNP was initially established to protect the Komodo dragon and its remaining habitat in 1980. In 1991, due to the park’s dedication to protecting its land and marine life, it was officially designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

Despite efforts to protect the park and all life that relies on it, KNP has been and still is under threat of further human impact. 

Our Global Park Defense methodology is critical to keeping KNP's wildlife safe.

Given the sheer size of the park, one of the main issues preventing effective protection is a lack of monitoring and reporting. Without access to the technology necessary to thoroughly survey the land, there is no way to ensure that conservation guidelines are being upheld and that there are no illegal actions taking place in the park. It also means that, even when human-caused impacts are discovered, there is often a lack of accountability for actions that intentionally or unintentionally impact the environment in illegal or negative ways. 

The KSP team placing trail cameras in KNP. Photo courtesy KSP.

Given the beauty and impressive biodiversity above and beneath its oceans' surface, it is no surprise that the tourism industry thrives there. While prosperous for the local community's economy, tourism can be detrimental to the environment. Visitors bring in the funds that over 3.200 people living in the park and over 16,800 others living in the surrounding areas need to survive. However, because the only way to travel within the park is by foot or by boat, the more people exploring the islands, the more pollution from boats and the more foreign substances from visitors' shoes. 

New KNP Command Center. Photo courtesy KSP.

In partnership with Komodo Survival Program (KSP), Global Conservation has funded and supported efforts to provide the technology and resources needed to more effectively protect KNP. This year, KSP has accomplished the following:

1. Park staff has been trained in SMART implementation, which is now being used during patrolling.
2. Fourteen dedicated young KNP rangers have been trained in ecological monitoring methodology. 
3. 624km of marine patrols and 175km of terrestrial patrols were conducted during June, July, and August 2021.
4. A terrestrial wildlife survey was conducted, focused especially on monitoring the presence of Komodo dragons and their prey.
5. After several coordination meetings with the director of KNP, KSP has been given a permit to renovate an unused building and use it as a command and education center, as well as the base camp for the KNP and KSP monitoring and patrolling team.
6. Conducted a preliminary survey on the west coast of Komodo Island to identify the areas of KNP that need to be monitored more frequently for threats such as deer poaching and burning of the savannah by poachers.
7. Purchased and installed a Portable Marine Radar and a large anchor to support and improve the floating ranger stations.

A new marine radar system has been set up in KNP.

While many of Indonesia’s national parks have been using SMART technology to protect their lands, KNP has not, so implementing relatively user-friendly technology has been Global Conservation’s leading priority in the current 6-month 2021 pilot project. Providing technology and rolling out Global Park Defense during this pilot has already proven to be extremely useful for increasing security capacity within this World Heritage Site.

Terrestrial patrol in KNP. Photo courtesy KSP.

The 2022-2025 plan that Global Conservation developed in collaboration with KSP involves increasing the frequency of monitoring and patrolling, as well as implementing all of the methodologies being set up during this year's pilot project.

Marine patrol boat in KNP. Photo courtesy KSP.

Next, with KSP, we plan to further implement the SMART monitoring and patrolling program not only for boat patrolling of coastal areas, but for all 13 ranger stations across KNP that also help to protect terrestrial areas.

A SMART patrol in action in another of our Indonesian project sites, the Leuser Ecosystem.

Additionally, preparations have been made to increase the frequency of surveillance patrols and monitoring of wildlife. In particular, KSP will help the park continue to conduct intensive surveillance and Komodo dragon monitoring programs on the west coast of Komodo Island and the two remote small islands of Nusa Kode and Gili Motang.

KNP rangers being trained in ecological monitoring and methodology. Photo courtesy KSP.

The success of the current pilot project will become a strong negotiation point for the park to request necessary funding from the central government for operational costs of monitoring and patrolling programs.

Despite the success of this year’s project, more funds are needed to support even more surveillance patrols and monitoring, critical to effectively protecting this part. If you’d like to help protect Indonesia’s Komodo National Park and its wildlife, please donate here. 

Komodo dragon in KNP. Photo courtesy KSP.