Last July, Governor of East Nusa Tenggara province Viktor B. Laiskodat announced a plan to close the tourism site for one year from January 2020 to stop tourists interfering with the natural behaviour of the largest species of lizard on earth.
The cancellation was decided in a September 30 meeting attended by Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Luhut Panjaitan, Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar, Tourism Minister Arief Yahya and Viktor Laiskodat.
According to Bakar, observations from 2002 to 2019 show that the number of Komodo dragons on the island has been relatively stable, without threat of a decline.
This ministry said the Indonesian Government and authorities of East Nusa Tenggara will coordinate to improve tourism sites, better training for forest rangers and provide better equipment for patrol forces, as well as establish a Kodomo dragon research centre.
Last year, more than 176,000 tourists visited the Komodo National Park.
Currently, Komodo dragons in the park that covers three islands of Komodo, Rinca and Gili Motang number 2,897, according to the data issued by the Indonesian Environment and Forestry Ministry.
