The dismissal of the groundless reports was conveyed by Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni amid growing concerns from local communities and tour operators that fear any large-scale development could damage Komodo National Park's fragile ecosystem and threaten local livelihoods.
Speaking to journalists after attending a National Nature Conservation Day event here Monday, Antoni said PT Komodo Wildlife Ecotourism (PT KWE) had been granted a tourism development permit in 2014, covering 15.37 hectares, or just 5.64 percent of the total 274.13-hectare licensed area on Padar Island.
The business license for nature-based tourism facilities since 2014 was granted to PT KWE based on the Foreign Ministry's Decree No. SK.796/Menhut-II/2014.
"The law is very clear. Development is capped at a maximum of ten percent. So, any mention of 600 villas is definitely a hoax. Only ten percent is allowed," Antoni said.
He emphasized that development is restricted to designated utilization zones and must follow a lengthy regulatory process. Until now, no construction has begun on the island under PT KWE's permit.
Development within the Komodo National Park must also be semi-permanent and relocatable if necessary, he said, while emphasizing that any project on the island would have to consider environmental protections.
Therefore, any project on Padar Island should not pose threats to the habitat of the endangered Komodo dragons (Varanus komodoensis), he added.
In addition, the project must go through multiple stages, including public consultations and an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), which would be submitted to UNESCO, as Komodo National Park had been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991.
"I want to make it clear, especially on this Nature Conservation Day, that the goal is conservation. Any ecosystem services developed there must serve conservation - not destruction," Antoni said.
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Translator: Prisca TV, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Primayanti
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