Living with Komodo Dragons: Wildlife and Tourism in Labuan Bajo, Indonesia

Komodo National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and habitat for the endangered Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis), is simultaneously a symbol of global biodiversity conservation and a leading tourist destination in the Labuan Bajo area of Indonesia. This dual role creates tensions between ecological protection and economic interests. Tourism provides a significant source of funding for conservation and regional development, but it also has the potential to transform wildlife and landscapes into tourist commodities that threaten the dry tropics ecology and local human-animal relations. This research focuses on the intersection between conservation, tourism, commodification, local communities, and development. The study shows that local beliefs regarding Komodo dragons as animal relatives plays a crucial role as a cultural conservation mechanism that complements state regulations. However, tourism development has driven the commodification of wildlife, turning Komodo dragons into a tourist attraction and Labuan Bajo into a tourism hub. The resulting economic, cultural, and ecological risks have been met by local community resistance.