Kokotuku Peninsula, West Flores, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia | |
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Ecology | |
Realm | Southeast Asia |
Biome | Tropical Rainforest |
Bird species | Paradise-flycatcher, kingfisher, cuckoo, cockatoo, megapode, drongo |
Mammal species | long-tailed macaque, flying fox (fruit bat), barking deer, wild buffalo, wild boar, dugong |
Geography | |
Country | Indonesia |
State | East Nusa Tenggara |
Coordinates | 8°23'40.69"S, 120°01'05.35"E |
Geology | Metamorphic |
Climate type | Tropical |
The Kokotuku Peninsula is a 986 hectare tropical land mass located 20 kilometers north of the city of Labuan Bajo, West Manggarai, Flores NTT, Indonesia. The West Flores-Komodo region is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, [1] and is considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Natural World. [2]
The Kokotuku Peninsula features a natural harbor, a mountain of 300 meters elevation, and 15 kilometer-long coastline of coral reefs, white sand beaches, and mangrove forests. Kokotuku's reefs are home to a wide variety of tropical fish. The peninsula's rocky inland supports several indigenous species, including monitor lizards, monkeys, flying foxes, and many parrot species.
While the region's most famous attraction, the Komodo Dragon, is found only on the nearby Komodo-Rinca Islands, fauna on Kokotuku include the long-tailed macaque, giant iguana, flying fox (fruit bat), barking deer, wild buffalo, and wild boar.
Indigenous lowland birds include the paradise-flycatcher, kingfisher, cuckoo, cockatoo, megapode, and drongo, among many others. There are several species of butterfly.
Extensive coral reefs support a wide variety of sealife, including sea turtles, manta rays, barracuda, angel fish, parrot fish, lion fish, clown fish, and starfish of many hues. Coastal mangroves provide a breeding area for dugong.
Home to Komodo National Park, West Flores is perhaps the most popular destination in the Indonesian Archipelago for marine and adventure tourists. Surrounded by turquoise waters, Kokotuku offers numerous sailing, snorkeling, and diving experiences. Trekking, mountain biking, cultural immersion and backwater trips are also plentiful.
In 2015 the Kokotuku Sanctuary Consortium (KSC) was formed to preserve the area's unique environment and wildlife through responsible stewardship of the land and seas. Working in cooperation with the Planning Board of the Government of Flores, the KSC established firm guidelines to promote sustainable local development, zoning, and building styles for Kokotuku's inland, coastline, islands and sea.
The KSC has worked together with local and federal government to draft development and activity guidelines that will become Indonesian law, in an effort to protect the area's natural environment.[ citation needed ] The KSC Board of Governors is composed of both regional and global marine tourism leaders whose experience continues to guide development in the area, while facilitating access to government assistance for residents and small business owners.
Working in cooperation with the Planning Board of the Government of Flores, the KSC has established firm guidelines for sustainable local development, creating a Conservation and Development Masterplan for the Kokotuku Peninsula which includes its inland, coastline, islands and surrounding sea. The KSC Masterplan designates forest preserves, protection and restoration areas, no-boat zones, as well as plastic-free and noise-free zones.
It is hoped that by taking preemptive action, environmental degradation to the Kokotuku region may be averted. Many touristic areas in Southeast Asia have experienced catastrophic economic consequences due to poor planning and insufficient infrastructure. Recent examples include Bali, [3] [4] Bandung, [5] [6] and Boracay, Philippines. [7]
Kokotuku Peninsula is currently accessible by boat from the Port of Labuan Bajo. The port is also the launching point for trips to Komodo Island, local diving and snorkeling sites, secluded beaches, and inter-island cruises. The government has announced the construction of a new marina and supporting facilities, [8] slated for completion in 2019, to accommodate international cruise ships.
A national road will connect Kokotuku with the town of Labuan Bajo. Road construction is underway and is on schedule to be completed by the end of 2019.
The new Komodo Airport opened in December 2015. Its expanded runway can now accommodate medium class passenger jets, while its large terminal can serve up to 1.5 million travelers per year. The airport will begin receiving international flights in 2019.
Medang is a small, low-lying island, home to Medang Village. Sebabi Island, located due north of Kokotuku Peninsula, is much larger and higher in elevation.
The Kokotuku Peninsula has three traditional villages—Pontiana, Medang, and Pasir Panjang. These colorful villages are made up of traditional Bugis stilt houses and small shops. Villagers' main source of income is derived from selling fresh and dried fish.
Pontiana village is the largest of the three villages, with a population of about 200. Pontiana is the regional arrival point for boats from Labuan Bajo, as well as the Sebabi ferry. Pontiana is connected to Labuan Bajo via the nearby hillside national road.
Pasir Panjang (Long Sand) is another of the three villages, and has a white sand beach and coconut palms. The village consists of 50 family homes set around a natural clearing which the village children use as a football (soccer) soccer field.
Medang Village is located on the southern side of Medang Island, to the east of the Kokotuku Peninsula. It is home to 70 families who subsist from selling salted fish.
The Kokotuku Nature Reserve is a planned mixed-use nature conservation and recreation area to be located on and around the Kokotuku Peninsula. The Reserve is an approved component of the RTBL (Rencana Tata Bangunan dan Lingkungan) Spatial Plan and will be managed by the Kokotuku Sanctuary Consortium (KSC) in cooperation with the West Manggarai Regency. Under the plan, certain areas are designated solely for reforestation and restoration of indigenous species, while other areas are approved for the construction of sustainable accommodations [see map]. A nature path will connect various scenic vistas and sites of interest within the reserve.
The Kokotuku Sanctuary Consortium (KSC) has proposed creating a Marine Protected Area in order to protect endangered marine life and reduce pollution. The KSC proposal includes a Coral and Fish Restoration Zone. The plan seeks to end the use of anchors in the area, and would provide boat mooring places to facilitate this goal. The Kokotuku Marine Protected Area would encompass the four main areas of the Kokotuku region. [Map]
Flores is one of the Lesser Sunda Islands, a group of islands in the eastern half of Indonesia. Including Komodo Island off its west coast, the land area is 15,530.58 km2, and the population was 1,878,875 in the 2020 Census ; the official estimate as at mid 2022 was 1,919,395. The largest towns are Maumere and Ende. The name Flores is the Portuguese and Spanish word for "Flowers".
East Nusa Tenggara is the southernmost province of Indonesia. It comprises the eastern portion of the Lesser Sunda Islands, facing the Indian Ocean in the south and the Flores Sea in the north. It consists of more than 500 islands, with the largest ones being Sumba, Flores, and the western part of Timor; the latter shares a land border with the separate nation of East Timor. The province is subdivided into twenty-one regencies and the regency-level city of Kupang, which is the capital and largest city.
Komodo National Park is a national park in Indonesia located within the Lesser Sunda Islands in the border region between the provinces of East Nusa Tenggara and West Nusa Tenggara. The park includes the three larger islands Komodo, Padar and Rinca, and 26 smaller ones, with a total area of 1,733 km2. The national park was founded in 1980 to protect the Komodo dragon, the world's largest lizard. Later it was dedicated to protecting other species, including marine species. In 1991 the national park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Komodo is one of the 17,508 islands that comprise the Republic of Indonesia. It is particularly notable as the habitat of the Komodo dragon, the largest lizard on Earth, which is named after the island. Komodo Island has a surface area of 291 square kilometres, and had a human population of about 1,800 in 2020.
Tourism in Indonesia is an important component of the Indonesian economy as well as a significant source of its foreign exchange revenues. Indonesia was ranked at 20th in the world tourist Industry in 2017, also ranked as the ninth-fastest growing tourist sector in the world, the third-fastest growing in Asia and fastest-growing in Southeast Asia. In 2018, Denpasar, Jakarta and Batam are among of 10 cities in the world with fastest growth in tourism, 32.7, 29.2 and 23.3 percent respectively. The tourism sector ranked as the 4th largest among goods and services export sectors.
Rinca, also known as Rincah, Rindja, Rintja and Pintja, is a small island near Komodo and Flores island, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia, within the West Manggarai Regency. It is one of the three largest islands included in Komodo National Park. The island is famous for Komodo dragons, giant lizards that can measure up to 3 metres (9.8 ft) long. Rinca is also populated with many other species such as wild pigs, buffalos and many birds.
Blast fishing, fish bombing, dynamite fishing or grenade fishing is a destructive fishing practice using explosives to stun or kill schools of fish for easy collection. This often illegal practice is extremely destructive to the surrounding ecosystem, as the explosion often destroys the underlying habitat that supports the fish. The frequently improvised nature of the explosives used, and undetonated charges, means danger for fishermen and divers as well, with accidents and injuries.
Kuta is a tourist area, administratively an urban village (kelurahan), and the capital of Kuta District, Badung Regency, southern Bali, Indonesia. Kuta is a part of the Denpasar metropolitan area and is situated 12 km (7.5 mi) south of Downtown Denpasar. It was originally known as a fishing village, it was one of the first towns on Bali to see substantial tourist development, and as a beach resort remains one of Indonesia's major tourist destinations. It is known internationally for its long sandy beach, varied accommodation, many restaurants and bars, and many renowned surfers who visit from Australia. It is located near Bali's Ngurah Rai Airport.
Sail Indonesia is a series of sailing and other events for yachts conducted each year in Indonesia. The events are organised by Yayasan Cinta Bahari Indonesia (YCBI) and supported by the high-profile tourist destinations to international yachtsmen and women with a view to expanding the tourism potential and raising awareness of the region as well as introducing visitors to natural and cultural features of the Indonesian archipelago that they might otherwise not visit.
Komodo Airport is an airport near the town of Labuan Bajo on the island of Flores in East Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia. The airport's name comes from Labuan Bajo's status as a departure point for tours to the nearby Komodo National Park, home of the Komodo dragon.
The Manggarai are an ethnic group found in western Flores in the East Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia. Manggarai people are spread across three regencies in the province, namely the West Manggarai Regency, Manggarai Regency, and East Manggarai Regency.
West Manggarai Regency is one of the eight regencies which comprise the island of Flores, located in the province of East Nusa Tenggara in Indonesia. The Regency was created on 25 February 2003 by separation off the western districts of Manggarai Regency. It covers a land area of 3,141.47 km2, and had a population of 221,703 at the 2010 census, rising to 251,689 at the 2015 Intermediate census and to 256,317 at the 2020 census. The official estimate as at mid 2022 was 263,687. The regency's capital is the town of Labuan Bajo.
Labuan Bajo is a fishing town located at the western end of the large island of Flores in the East Nusa Tenggara province of Indonesia. It is the capital of the West Manggarai Regency, one of the eight regencies which are the major administrative divisions of Flores.
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The Komodo Biosphere Reserve and National Park is situated between Flores and Sumbawa in Indonesia. It is renowned for its population of about 5,000 giant lizards, called 'Komodo dragons'. They exist nowhere else in the world and are of significant interest to scientists studying the theory of evolution.
Tour de Flores is a multi-day cycling race on the Indonesian island of Flores. It is part of UCI Asia Tour in category 2.2. Aside from Larantuka, Labuan Bajo and Komodo National Park, the cyclists race along natural and cultural wonders of Flores Island such as the tricolor lake on Mt. Kelimutu, the megalithic village of Bena, and the exiled house of Indonesia’s first president, Sukarno in Ende. Tour de Flores had become an annual international cycling event since 2016.
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Caci is a form of fighting with a whip or stick. It appears to be indigenous to Flores in East Nusa Tenggara, but it is also practiced in neighboring islands of Bali and Lombok, Indonesia. The art is sometimes called cacing or ende in Flores, and larik or kebat in Riung, while in Balinese it is known as ende.