Komodo island in eastern Indonesia has been an important tourist destination as well as a World Heritage Site for Indonesia. It is the unique home of the Komodo Dragon (Varanus komodoensis), which lives nowhere else in the world.
As such, Komodo island is the major destination for travelers in eastern Indonesia and the tourism revenue generated is vital for the local economy. Now, the only safe public ferry service operated by the state-owned riverand lake transportation and ferry service company ASDP has been inexplicably stopped for almost a year, and tourism and the local economy is collapsing.
Ferry operator ASDP had operated a ferry service between Sape (Sumbawa) and Labuan Bajo (Flores) via Komodo island since the 1970s. This service provided a vital link not only for the Komodo islanders to bring in essential commodities, but also opened up the National Park to visitors by allowing them to cross the treacherous waters of the Lintah strait in relative safety.
Last year, an inexplicable decision was made by ASDP's local manager, Ibrahim, in Sape harbor, Sumbawa island to cease the service via Komodo -- thus effectively cutting off the island from any recognized form of public transportation.
Tourists, who have made the epic journey as far as Sumbawa or Flores, areforced to risk their lives on the perilous five to 10-hour crossing by local sailing craft, that are chartered by the mafia of Labuan Bajo boat owners.
Remote parts of Indonesia are difficult enough to reach safely at the best of times, and the most basic step in infrastructural development in the country is the provision of safe land and sea communications for its citizens.
The impoverished Komodo islanders have been dependent on the daily ferry service to bring vital vegetables and other foods which they are forbidden from growing in a National Park, and malnutrition and infectious diseases are rife. Skin infections, abscesses and a variety of respiratory diseases are present in the community, which are exacerbated by poor immunity due tomalnutrition. Komodo villagers receive no medical attention worthy of the name unless they travel the perilous and expensive voyage to Flores where facilities are only marginally better but too expensive.
Tourism collapse
With no safe ferry service, tourists are forced to charter local sailing craft at hugely inflated rates, and there have been many cases of tourists arriving at Sape port in Sumbawa expecting to catch the ferry, only to findthat they have to charter local fishing boats at exorbitant costs.
Komodo National Park guards have reported first-time tourists arriving intears and hysterical after spending 24 hours at sea. Apparently the Sape boat owners have lied to them saying it is a short journey.
Komodo is a long and dangerous sea journey from Sumbawa or Flores in one of the most dangerous seas in Indonesia. Indeed, accidents are common and local fishing boats are often lost to the strong currents and powerful whirlpools. Even an Indonesian minister and his wife were lost a few years ago in a good motorboat caught in a freak wind that makes the Lintah straitso dangerous.
The National Park figures cite figures showing that tourism has dropped off to only 10 percent. In the Flores village of Labuan Bajo, which has developed entirely from tourist money, boat owners have created a mafia to get hold of tourists' dollars to charter their boats as there is no ferry.
Even the government National Parks and Wildlife Service has to take risksin chartering local boats and their revenue from tourists to Komodo has plummeted to 10 percent what it was five years ago.
So why has this happened? Rumors of corruption certainly abound, and the office responsible for the decision is ASDP in Sape, Sumbawa, headed by Ibrahim. Those benefiting directly from the lack of ferry are the Labuan Bajo charter-boat mafia. Even the harbormaster's office in Labuan Bajo declined providing an answer to this dilemma as to why Komodo, the most important tourist attraction in Eastern Indonesia, has become inaccessibleand dangerous to tourists and why the local authorities provide such a ""primitive"" service.
Decentralization in Indonesia has allowed a degree of autonomy to make local decisions such as this. Indeed, it is unlikely that the appropriate authorities and ministries in Jakarta -- such as the land transportation directorate, the ministry of tourism, and the ministry of transportation -- are aware of this. Where national interests and valuable tourism are at stake, it may be considered appropriate for Jakarta to intervene.
The author is a UK-based medical doctor and regular visitor to Indonesia for medical aid and research.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2000/10/10/the-only-safe-ferry-service-komodo-national-park-stopped.html
Friday, September 11, 2009
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Komodo Island, including five great wonders of the world
Komodo position after the Amazone forest in Brazil, Bu Tinah Island in the United Arab Emirates, in the Galapagos Islands and Ecuador Iguanzu River Falls in Brazil, said the Head Office of Tourism and Culture NTT, Ansgerius Takalapeta in Kupang on Saturday (25 / 7).
"The position of TNK had a perch in the sequence of four on Friday (24 / 7), after the island of Sipadan Malaysia eliminate friction and Black Forest in Germany. But now, its position in the big five," he said.
He expects all the components of NTT and Indonesia in general and the international community, continue to provide support to TNK signed in order to stay in the seven wonders of the world.
Former Regent Alor adding that the two periods, competition terberat TNK is the Amazon forest in Brazil and the Black Forest in Germany.
"We still have time until 2011 to choose one of TNK as a miracle in the world," he said.
Takalapeta invite all people to menyukseskan place through the election www.new7wonders.com.
Previously, Komodo Island entrance 28 finalists selected by a panel of experts from 77 nominations.
Previously also have approximately 261 locations in the world to be nominated in one of the seven wonders of the world, he said.
Komodo Island, he said, which is the mainstay event in Indonesia New7Wonders of Nature is due to have the benefits of rare animals is believed as the last dinosaurs on earth.
Komodo National Park includes the island of Komodo, Rinca and Padar, plus other islands covering 1817 square meter Komodo is a native habitat.
http://satria11.blogspot.com/2009/07/hebat-komodo-5-besar-keajaiban-dunia.html
Cenderawasih bird
Cenderawasih bird or a stranger called with the name of Bird of Paradise, is a typical bird of Papua, Indonesia. 43 of this beautiful bird species, 35 of which can be found in Papua. The rest, it is hard to find.
Its beautiful fur, mainly found in the male Cendrawasih. Generally, wool is very bright with a combination of black, reddish-brown, orange, yellow, white, blue, green, and purple. Cendrawasih species that are popular Paradisaea apoda, Paradisaea minor, Cicinnurus regius, and Seleucidis melanoleuca.
Birds usually live in dense forests or in low. He has a habit to play in the morning when the sun began to light appeared in the eastern horizon.
Cendrawasih male wearing fur neck to apprehend the kind of interesting opponents. Cendrawasih very masculine dance spectacular. While singing at the top of the limb, this male wiggle to different directions. Sometimes even reversed depending on the limb. However, each species of course have a distinctive type of dance.
In Papua, animals, animals in this region have a unique. Cendrawasih bird is one of the few birds that ilmiahnya name means "heaven", "magnificent", "beautiful", and "very good".
Robby Sawaki, one of the traditional artists of Papua, calling birds as Cenderawasih legged woman is not or Apoda. In Latin Cendrawasih bird described as paradisaea apoda. Birds are very beautiful but does not have the legs to be not from earth, because they walk or sit in a tree.
Cendrawasih thirty species are found in Indonesia, 28 of which are found in Papua is home to Cendrawasih paradigalla carunculata, Cendrawasih long tails astrapia nigra, Cendrawasih paratia parotia sefilata, Cendrawasih cicinnurus respublica Wilson, and red Cendrawasih paradiasea rubra.
A son of the Papua-day work as a tour guide, Helmut Kmur, say, in every occasion when he was traveling in the Land of Papua, many see it and witness with their own eyes the animals from Papua and in the catch in the sale. "One of them is bird paradise, which I often see birds on the market outside the area of Papua, "said Helmut.
Helmut, also deplore the original Papua hunt and kill a protected animal. "I take an example, people want to create an event must be present Cenderawasih bird as a sign," he said.
Birds get the nickname the bird paradise, the first population quite a lot in the forest of Papua, but continue to be hunted because of the drastic population decline and now is difficult to find. The causes, among others, forest where they seek refuge and breed narrow start line with the increasing logging.
Andreas Lameki, Head of Forestry Biak Numfor said, Cendrawasih bird hunting is prohibited based on the actual letter of the decision the Ministry of Forestry, but because the price in the market arouse enough, so that hunters continue to hunt wild.
While Cendrawasih king, Cendrawasih bald, red Cendrawasih, toowa, and Cendrawasih small yellow tails, have been included in the list of types of protected animals under the Law No 5 Year 1990 and PP RI No. 7 of 1999.
In many bird market in Jakarta a few years ago, a bird Cendrawasih sold illegally with the price Rp.1-2 million per head. Meanwhile, the collectors are also buying the bird of Paradise that has been preserved with the price of Rp750 to Rp1 million thousand.
Its beautiful fur, mainly found in the male Cendrawasih. Generally, wool is very bright with a combination of black, reddish-brown, orange, yellow, white, blue, green, and purple. Cendrawasih species that are popular Paradisaea apoda, Paradisaea minor, Cicinnurus regius, and Seleucidis melanoleuca.
Birds usually live in dense forests or in low. He has a habit to play in the morning when the sun began to light appeared in the eastern horizon.
Cendrawasih male wearing fur neck to apprehend the kind of interesting opponents. Cendrawasih very masculine dance spectacular. While singing at the top of the limb, this male wiggle to different directions. Sometimes even reversed depending on the limb. However, each species of course have a distinctive type of dance.
In Papua, animals, animals in this region have a unique. Cendrawasih bird is one of the few birds that ilmiahnya name means "heaven", "magnificent", "beautiful", and "very good".
Robby Sawaki, one of the traditional artists of Papua, calling birds as Cenderawasih legged woman is not or Apoda. In Latin Cendrawasih bird described as paradisaea apoda. Birds are very beautiful but does not have the legs to be not from earth, because they walk or sit in a tree.
Cendrawasih thirty species are found in Indonesia, 28 of which are found in Papua is home to Cendrawasih paradigalla carunculata, Cendrawasih long tails astrapia nigra, Cendrawasih paratia parotia sefilata, Cendrawasih cicinnurus respublica Wilson, and red Cendrawasih paradiasea rubra.
A son of the Papua-day work as a tour guide, Helmut Kmur, say, in every occasion when he was traveling in the Land of Papua, many see it and witness with their own eyes the animals from Papua and in the catch in the sale. "One of them is bird paradise, which I often see birds on the market outside the area of Papua, "said Helmut.
Helmut, also deplore the original Papua hunt and kill a protected animal. "I take an example, people want to create an event must be present Cenderawasih bird as a sign," he said.
Birds get the nickname the bird paradise, the first population quite a lot in the forest of Papua, but continue to be hunted because of the drastic population decline and now is difficult to find. The causes, among others, forest where they seek refuge and breed narrow start line with the increasing logging.
Andreas Lameki, Head of Forestry Biak Numfor said, Cendrawasih bird hunting is prohibited based on the actual letter of the decision the Ministry of Forestry, but because the price in the market arouse enough, so that hunters continue to hunt wild.
While Cendrawasih king, Cendrawasih bald, red Cendrawasih, toowa, and Cendrawasih small yellow tails, have been included in the list of types of protected animals under the Law No 5 Year 1990 and PP RI No. 7 of 1999.
In many bird market in Jakarta a few years ago, a bird Cendrawasih sold illegally with the price Rp.1-2 million per head. Meanwhile, the collectors are also buying the bird of Paradise that has been preserved with the price of Rp750 to Rp1 million thousand.
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