Jakarta (Greeners) – Ministry of Environment and Forestry to set up a team to assess the possibility of temporarily closing down Komodo National Park, a senior official said in Jakarta on Wednesday (06/02/2019).

The decision came as a result from the meeting between the ministry, East Nusa Tenggara Province and West Manggarai District Administration.

The assessment will be reported to the minister by July.

READ ALSO : Komodo National Park Closing is Still Pending Discussion

Wiratno, Director General of Natural Resources Conservation and Ecosystem, said that all parties agreed that Komodo National Park is world’s heritage site needs to be managed with concerns.

Hence, it requires better management, including protection and preservation of komodo dragon. In addition, the supply of its food, deers.

The closing or opening of a conservation areas is decided based on scientific considerations and certain conditions.

The integrates team will assess Komodo National Park and provide recommendations to the director general by August 2019.

“If the recommendations from the team decide to close (the national park), then the tourism packages already commersialised will continue, except at Komodo Island, and it will take effect in January 2020. The plan of closing only applies to Komodi Island, so not all areas of Komodo National Park,” said Wiratno.

READ ALSO : KIARA Urges Anies Baswedan to Stop Jakarta Bay Reclamation Project

Meanwhile, Listya Kusuma Wardhani, acting head of environmental service director at the ministry, said the team will comprise of government institutions, including the ministry, provincial government, district government and Indonesian Institute for Sciences or LIPI.

“The team has yet to be establishes but soon enough,” said Wardhani.

Other agreements are boat entrances, one door ticket pricing through Bajo Harbor.

In addition, the monitoring and control on tourism activities will be increased, such as watching komodo dragon, snorkeling, diving and other activities.

Wiratno said the entrance ticket pricing will be coordinated under ministry of finance, tourism ministry, tourism operators and Indonesian Travel Agency Company Association.

“The system for visitors management, information center, and institutional capacity building for conservation and economics will be reviewed. The opportunities to strengthen functions and permits of natural tourism sites and its facilities are being reviewed in accordance to the laws and regulations,” he said.

Reports by Dewi Purningsih.

Jakarta (Greeners) – Following East Nusa Tenggara Governor’s request to close Komodo National Park for one year, Minister of Environment and Forestry, Siti Nurbaya, said on Tuesday (22/01/2019) that the ministry is still discussing on the matter with the provincial government.

Nevertheless, Minister Siti stated that she understands the concerns of Governor Viktor Bungtilu Laiskodat to improve economic revenues through the national park. However, she underlines that conservation efforts and national parks are within the authorities of central government and ministry of environment and forestry.

“We are collecting fields data from national working units also conservation agencies in East Nusa Tenggara, and we have invited all parties, working units of the province, associations, ministry of tourism and research and development centers to discuss on the issue of closing Komodo National Park,” said Minister Siti in Jakarta.

READ ALSO: Mount Rinjani Cable Car Development To Move On Outside National Park Areas 

Furthermore, Minister Siti said that the ministry, which has the authority to 54 national parks in Indonesia, already sets up master plans and zone planning to each national park. These plans will serve as the guidelines for national parks management.

However, in relation to Komodo National Park, she added, it is still under the directorate general of conservation of natural resources and ecosystem.

“[I] can ensure that Komodo National Park will not be abruptly closed. We need to see how to manage the transition as there are many businesses, moreover Komodo National Park is a designated touristic site. So, I think those will be taken into considerations in the meeting on January 24th,” she said.

READ ALSO: KLHK Encourages Performances of Tourism Association 

Furthermore, director of environmental service for conservation forest at the ministry, Dodi Wahyu Karyanto, said that national parks or tourist parks to protect wildlife based on zone management. The zone comprises of areas to breeding, feeding or roaming.

Karyanto said that there were factors to decide on closing Komodo National Parks, including safety reason as the earthquake in Rinjani, extreme weather, ecosystem recovery, and the population of endangered species.

The 1990 Law on Natural Resources Conservation and Its Ecosystem stipulates necessary actions on certain conditions to maintain or to recover natural resources and its ecosystem sustainability. Hence, the government is allowed to stop any kinds of activities and close national parks, forest parks, for some period of time.

“On recent rumors that stating Komodo National Park is being closed because of skinny komodo or declining population, that would require reliable research and assessment data-based series,” he said.

Reports by Dewi Purningsih

Jakarta (Greeners) – Mount Rinjani National Park senior official said they have yet to receive any reports on cable car development on its site and only being notified through news. Agus Budi Santosa, head of national park, said that the development would be allowed only as far as outside the protected areas.

“From the news I read, the location would be at former coffee plantation far away from national park. But, if there’s a question on whether cable car or hotel or touristic site [built] inside national park, [the answer is] allowed but only certain places, such as in use zone. It would, of course, require a permit called as business permit for touristic facility procurement,” said Santosa in Jakarta, on Saturday (15/7).

READ ALSO: KLHK Encourages Performances of Tourism Association

In principal, he said, facilities development inside national parks was possible as long as in accordance with the zone and regulations.

He cited hotel development in West Bali National Park. All of the permits, he added, have already stipulated on Minister Environment and Forestry’s regulation on business permit for natural touristic site procurement.

“So, it’s allowed as long as it follows regulation and cable car would not be entered national park,” he said. “It’s still in Rinjani but not on its national park.”

READ ALSO: KLHK To Set Up Guidance for Clean Waste Mountain Hiking

Previously, Central Lombok head district, Suhaili, said that cable car development in Mount Rinjani will keep moving forward. He added that feasibility study for the development had already completed and finalized.

The cable car development plan had met with controversy among public. On current development, feasibility study had been finalized with investors are pushing for completion on necessary permits, including Business Permit on Land Tenure.

Reports by Danny Kosasih

Jakarta (Greeners) – President Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo will be inaugurating Zamrud National Park of Siak district in Riau in conjunction with World Environment Day (WED), said a senior official, in Jakarta, on Tuesday (12/7).

Zamrud National Park, which covers 31,480 ha of areas, used to be Tasik Serkap Wildlife Reserve and Production Forest before turned its function based on Environment and Forestry Ministerial Letter issued on May 4, 2016.

Syamsuar, head of Siak district, said that local government had been proposing Zamrud as national park since 2010 for its unique landscape of lakes. There are two lakes, — Pulau Besar Lake (2,146 ha) and Bawah Lake (360 ha) –, in Zamrud village of which becomes the namesake of the park.

READ ALSO: Indonesia To Develop Integrated National Parks

Zamrud lake can be reached through land travel within three hours from Pekanbaru, Riau’s capital. Unfortunately, the site can only be reached through cars as there are no public transportation available.

Based on Riau Natural Resources Conservation Agency data, there are 38 bird species in the location, 12 of them are protected, including White stork bird, hornbills, and blue-crowned hanging parrot (Loriculus galgulus) which is the province’ mascot. In addition, the park is also the home for siamang, sumatran tiger, sun bear, and flat-headed cat.

Meanwhile, the lake has at least 14 fish species of which eight of them hold economical values, such as sipimping (Oxygaster), selais (Kryptopterus), kayangan (Scleropages formosus), tapah (Wallago attu), baung (Hemibagrus), toman (Channa micropeltes), balido (Chitala lopis), and gelang fish.

READ ALSO: Indonesia Still Developing Nature Sites as Tourist Destination

Arsyadjuliandi Rachman, Riau Governor, said that Zamrud lake was initially a wildlife reserve closed for public nevertheless prone to encroachment and illegal hunting.

Before turned into a wildlife reserve, the area was one of oil well operated by PT Caltex Pacific Indonesia, which is now PT Chevron Pacific Indonesia since 1975. The well was named Zamrud site. In 2002, Zamrud site was run by Joint Operation Agency between PT Bumi Siak Pusako – PT Pertamina Hulu.

Besides mining activities, other activities near the wildlife reserve were people’s plantations and Industrial Plantation Forest (HTI) owned by PT Arara Abadi, PT Riau Andalan Pulp and Paper, PT Ekawana Lestaridharma and PT National Timber.

Governor Rachman said that all activities inside and near the areas affected the sustainability of the wildlife reserve.

“From direct assessment in the field, threats of this wildlife are increasing as we found encroachment and illegal logging,” he added.

Reports by Danny Kosasih