KUALA LUMPUR ¨C There¡¯s nothing cuddly about the 5,000 or so Komodo dragons that still roam the wild. They¡¯re aggressive, venomous predators that can exceed 3 meters in length and weigh more than 68 kg. They¡¯ve been known to occasionally attack humans, sometimes fatally. Nonetheless, growing numbers of tourists are flocking to Komodo island to see them. And starting next year, they¡¯ll pay up to $1,000 for the privilege.
This new ¡°membership fee,¡± announced at the end of September, is intended to reduce over-tourism, and perhaps save Komodo¡¯s signature species in the process. If it works, it could act as a model for some of the world¡¯s most ecologically sensitive sites, and the local communities that too often fail to see the benefits of the global ecotourism boom.
Until recently, the idea that Komodo, a 388 square kilometer mountainous rock in the middle of the Indonesian archipelago, might become a tourist attraction was far-fetched. It was sparsely populated for centuries, known almost exclusively to locals. In the early 20th century, rumors of giant crocodiles inhabiting the island reached a Dutch explorer who promptly traveled to Komodo and shot one.
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