Komodo National Park

Komodo National Park
Komodo National Park
Taman Nasional Komodo
IUCN Category II (National Park)
	Komodo dragon at Komodo National Park
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Location	Lesser Sunda Islands, Indonesia
Area	Lua error in Module:Convert at line 1850: attempt to index local 'en_value' (a nil value).
Visitors	45,000 (in 2010)
Website	www.komodonationalpark.org
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UNESCO World Heritage Site
Criteria	Natural: vii, x
Reference	609
Inscription	1991 (15th Session)

The Komodo National Park is a national park in Indonesia. It is on several islands in the Lesser Sunda Islands. The park is in the area between the East Nusa Tenggara and West Nusa Tenggara provinces. The park includes three larger islands: Komodo, Padar and Rincah. It also includes 26 smaller ones^[1] for a total area of 1,733 km² (603 km² of it land). The national park was founded in 1980 to protect the Komodo dragon. This animal is the world's largest lizard.^[2] Later it began protecting other species, including some in the ocean. In 1991 the national park was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Geography and climate

The park is spread over several islands. It includes part of western coast of Flores, the three larger islands of Komodo, Padar, Rincah, and 26 smaller islands. It also includes ocean areas such as the Sape Straights. The islands of the national park are volcanic. The land is generally rugged, with some rounded hills^[2] to 735m.^[1] The climate is one of the driest of Indonesia. Each year between 800mm and 1000mm of rain falls in the park area. Temperatures in the dry season from May to October are around 40 °C.^[2]

Plants and animals

The Park is hot and dry. There are many savannah plants that make it a good place for the Komodo dragon.^[1]

Cloud forests are in only a few areas above 500 metres. These forests are good places for some local plants. There are mangrove forests in some of the quiet bays of the three larger islands.^[2]

Large and complex coral reefs are along the north-east coast of Komodo.^[2] The park has many animals that live in the ocean, including whale sharks, ocean sunfish, manta rays, eagle rays, pygmy seahorse, false pipefish, clown frogfish, nudibranchs, blue-ringed octopus, sponges, tunicates, and coral.

Komodo dragons
Dark brown giant clam
Large cuttlefish
Cleaner station under a table coral

Conservation

The island of Padar and part of Rinca were made nature reserves in 1938. Komodo Island became a nature reserve in 1965. UNESCO also began to protect the island in 1977. The three islands were named a national park in 1980,. The park was extended to include the nearby parts of the ocean and a part of Flores in 1984.^[2] In 1991 the national park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Since 1995, the national park authority has been supported by an American environmental organization called The Nature Conservancy (TNC).

Komodo National Park has been selected as one of 28 finalists to become one of the New7Wonders of Nature.^[3]

People living in the park and tourism

About 4,000 people live within the park. Scuba diving is popular because of the many different kinds of life living in the water. Ecotourism in the ocean is the main way to get money to support the park

However, several fishermen died since the 1980s. People disagree about what happened to them. Park patrol and military said they needed to protect themselves. Fishermen living in the area say the park management killed the fishermen on purpose.^[4]

Komodo National Park Media

The rugged terrain of Komodo Island with few trees makes it one of the driest locations in Indonesia.
Rinca Island, Indonesia, July 2007
1998 Adelaar off Padar Island.
Kanawa Island, a tourist island in the Komodo National Park.
Kanawa Island, a tourist island in the park.
Komodo dragon feeding on a carcass
Water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) at Rinca Island, Indonesia
Crab-eating macaque (Macaca fascicularis) at Rinca Island, Indonesia
Komodo dragon stalking deer. Note the tracking device on the dragon's neck
Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis), Komodo National Park, Indonesia