Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno ensured the government would prioritize the ecosystem of komodo dragons in the infrastructure projects at Komodo National Park, Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara. The statement was in response to a letter issued by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee that asked Indonesia to halt all tourism projects on the island.
“In the end, the goal is a Komodo National Park that is managed with utmost care without harming biodiversity and ecosystems there,” said Sandiaga in an online press conference, Monday, August 2.
UNESCO asked that infrastructure projects in priority tourist areas be halted as it potentially affected the outstanding universal value (OUV) until the government submitted a revised environmental impact assessment (Amdal) that will be reviewed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Sandiaga said his ministry would coordinate with the Environment and Forestry Ministry regarding the amdal evaluation and hold a meeting with UNESCO to follow up on the letter.
He suspected that there was a slight discrepancy in information from UNESCO's letter circulating in the community and the committee's notes to the government.
According to him, there will be limited areas including ecotourism areas and areas that can be visited massively by tourists at Komodo National Park.
.
Sandiaga Uno also ensured that the letter from UNESCO would not change the government's plans to develop Labuan Bajo tourism according to the state’s tourism map and prepare the area as a location for the G20 international agenda in 2022.
