•    HOME   
•    NEWS   
•    BUSINESS   
•    INTERNATIONAL   
•    TECH   
•    SPORTS   
•    LIFE & TIMES   
•    OPINION   
•    MY JAKARTA   
•    BLOGS   
•    EYEWITNESS   

Denpasar. The Indonesian Forum for the Environment on Friday expressed strong opposition to a government plan to relocate ten Komodo dragons from their natural habitat in Wae Wuul, West Manggarai, East Nusa Tenggara, to Taman Safari Indonesia in Bali.

“The move will likely have both environmental and social ramifications,” Agung Wardhana, director of the Bali branch of the forum, known as Walhi, said without elaborating.

The Forestry Ministry issued a decree in May authorizing the relocation of the rare dragons from Wae Wuul to the safari park, as part of what a so-called purification process. The plan has also drawn protests from West Manggarai residents who fear that the move would hurt the district’s tourism industry.

Agung called on the ministry to release the results of an environmental and social impact analysis of the plan to the public in Bali, including the reasons why Bali was picked for the relocation.

He argued that relocating the dragons to Bali and creating an ecosystem similar to their natural habitat in Wae Wuul would hurt the island’s environment.

“Before this, eight elephants were transported from Bogor, now the Dragons. What will come next?” Agung said. “Should all of them be put on this relatively small island?”

Istanto, the head of the Bali Natural Resources Conservation Center (BKSDA), asked all parties not to reject the decree outright, though he acknowledged he did not know the full relocation plan. “[Taman Safari Indonesia] has already proved itself a worthy conservator,” he said.