Emmy Hafild: If people are prosperous, the Komodo habitat would be safe
19 October 2018 23:10 WIB
The Komodo dragon, or giant monitor lizard, has existed for about 900,000 years living in the Flores archipelago. In Flores the main island the komodo is no longer found. This giant carniverous monitor lizard could not compete with human beings in the search for food. As a result, the komodo now only lives in small, unpopulated islands. "Humans only began occupying the islands of Komodo, Rinca, Gili Motang and other smaller islands around the 1930s," said Emmy Hafild, 55, executive director of the Komodo Kita (Our Komodo) Foundation. The islands are scattered around the area of Labuan Bajo, on western Flores.
Hafild began to understand the plight of the komodo dragon two years ago when she campaigned to have it included in the 'New Seven Wonders of Nature'. She co-founded the foundation, which focuses on the welfare of the people living around the komodo. Tempo interviewed Hafild, the former executive director of Greenpeace Southeast Asia, end of May on a trip to Labuan Bajo, where she was scheduled to lay the foundation stone for Komodo Village to be rebuilt as a tourism village. Excerpts:
How can human beings live alongside the Komodo dragon?
The best way is to take advantage of the natural beauty and magic of komodo, which brings in tourists. This is possible by making them participators of the tourism industry. If people cease to exploit forests which are the habitat of these creatures, competition for food will no longer happen.
Should the population of the Komodo be controlled if they begin to grow at a fast rate?
It would be a big loss if the komodo became extinct. Many people come to Indonesia because this is the only country in the world which has komodos. The International Union for Conservation of Nature declared the komodo's existence to be in critical condition.
But shouldn't the lives of local people be taken care of? Would it be enough to have them earn a livelihood just from tourism?
Today, villagers who can send their children to university are considered 'well-off'. The rest only manage to complete elementary school. We help them become part of the tourism industry, doing wood-carving, producing souvenirs and becoming diving-guides. This way they increase their incomes and will be able to send their kids to university. The people then will no longer need to rely on farming or fishing. They can become doctors or government employees. Economic mobility does not have to only center on the village, it can go beyond the islands, or even the region. When this happens, the komodo's habitat will be secure.
How effective has local wisdom been in protecting the komodo?
The belief that the komodo are their blood brothers is one example. For the past 50 years, man and komodo have been able to live side by side. The local people have their own language known as the modo language with which they communicate with the komodo. But this local wisdom was only understood by Komodo Island's first generation of settlers. Subsequent generations no longer understand it.
What can be done to ensure that this wisdom continues?
We are collecting traditional lore.We are trying to include study of national parks in biology at elementary and junior high. When infrastructure is completed, we will focus on that aspect.
This interview and the full report on Komodo dragons are available in the Outreach section in the June 19 edition of Tempo English Weekly.