Examining the consequences of tourism development on the habitat of Komodo dragons in Labuan Bajo

Abstract

Abstract Since Komodo National Park became the New Seven Wonders of the World in 2012, Labuan Bajo has become a popular tourist attraction and experienced tourists’ visits, especially with the Government’s decision to make West Manggarai Regency a world-class destination in 2020. The increase has adversely affected the Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis) habitat on Flores Island, particularly Labuan Bajo and surroundings. This study aimed to assess the use and change of land cover (LULC) of Labuan Bajo’s Komodo habitat and its surroundings, using MLC in ArcGIS 10.3 and Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt). Of the total 40,275 ha, 9,109 ha are highly suitable for Komodo habitat while 31,161 ha are low-suitable; most situated at 0-300 m above sea level. The tourism development area encompasses 11,225 ha, with an overlap of 7,104.67 ha with the dragon’s habitat. The 2016-2020 land cover analysis showed the conversion of 114,875.40 ha secondary dry forest to agriculture and settlements, reducing the area to 111,739.97 ha. Komodo’s habitat is intersected by Golo Mori tourism area and a 7.5-km road to Golo Mori as the established infrastructure developments. The conservation of Komodo, corridors, and buffer zones requires that tourism development in Labuan Bajo and surroundings aligned with Komodo conservation efforts.