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REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA — The Ministry of Forestry insists that any plans for the construction of tourist facilities on Padar Island, Komodo National Park, must comply with the law and prioritize the conservation of endemic animals. This affirmation was made during the evaluation of the resort development plan by PT Komodo Wildlife Ecotourism (PT KWE), which received public attention.
Padar Island is part of UNESCO World Heritage and an important habitat for Komodo dragons. The Ministry stated that PT KWE has a natural tourism business license since 2014 with a concession of 426 hectares on Komodo Island and Padar Island. Of that total, development on Padar Island is only about 15 hectares or 5.6 percent of the concession area.
Nevertheless, the construction of the foundation on Padar Island in 2020—2021 was briefly halted because it did not yet have an Environmental Impact Analysis (EIA) document. The EIA preparation process was then carried out with the involvement of a team of experts from IPB as well as a public consultation in July 2025 in Labuan Bajo.
In a statement on Tuesday (16/9/2025), the Ministry of Forestry said the public consultation resulted in a number of important recommendations that PT KWE must comply with. First, some types of tourist means should be shifted or reduced in number in development blocks so as not to disturb the habitat of the Komodo dragon. Secondly, the construction of roads is required to be elevated without cutting down trees. Third, the Komodo dragon nest must have a safe radius of at least 10 meters from the awakened acreage.
Other recommendations encourage PT KWE's partnerships with the local tourism industry, universities, and tourism schools, as well as the implementation of operational plans that are adaptive to field conditions.
“PT KWE is obliged to follow technical directives, including restrictions on development around habitats and nests of Komodo dragons,” the Forestry Ministry said in a statement.
In addition, the government also responded to the construction of a mess of employees of PT Palma Hijau Cemerlang (PHC) located in the Komodo National Park area. The wooden, non-permanent facility was rated environmentally friendly and was only used to support surveillance, not commercial purposes, so it did not require AMDAL documents.
The results of the monitoring of the National Komodo Hall with the Komodo Survival Program Foundation show that the Komodo population on Padar Island has stabilized in the last three years, even indicating an increase in 2025. However, a complete analysis of this year's population data is still awaiting verification.
The government stresses ecotourism in Labuan Bajo has provided real economic benefits. At least 218 local residents are involved as guides, providers of food, drinks and souvenirs, while the tourism sector creates more than 4,500 jobs.
The Ministry of Forestry reiterated its commitment to ensure resort development on Padar Island goes according to conservation guidelines and public recommendations. The public is encouraged to wait for the results of UNESCO's assessment and avoid spreading misleading information.
