ECOCLUB Monitoring™

Writing in Mongabay, Venansius Haryanto, Researcher with Sunspirit, a Flores-based NGO, documents the history of government efforts to circumvent UNESCO World Heritage Status so as to allow private resort development within the famous park, home to the the world's largest lizard, the threatened Komodo Dragon, as well as popular protests against these government plans. Haryanto favours the development of low-impact community tourism under the control of the local Ata Modo people, who are under risk of expulsion so as to facilitate development of resorts by two private companies holding concessions.