Posted
Update
Article written by
/2021/12/14/61b8b98e077d1_france-2.png)
Komodo dragons are emblematic of the archipelago of the same name, where they have lived for millennia in cohabitation with man. Some residents denounce the creation of an animal park where they would be locked up, especially since their habitat is already threatened by global warming.
Placed on turquoise waters on the borders of the Indian Ocean, the Komodo archipelago in Indonesia, offers paradisiacal landscapes, between green islands and bays bordered by white sand. They gave their name to the Komodo dragon, the last surviving dinosaur reptile. The species has inhabited these lands for millennia. The inhabitants even say that they are made of the same blood as the animal, and speak the same language. Komodo dragons attract tourists from all over the world. Before the pandemic, they were nearly 200,000 each year to come to observe them.
Rare, the Komodo dragons are now in danger. Three months ago, they were placed on the red list of endangered areas. Due to global warming and rising sea levels, 30% of their habitat could disappear by the end of the century. Gregorius Afioma, environmental activist from the archipelago, has been fighting for six years for the protection of the Komodo dragons. “Komodo dragons are not supposed to live on the hills, but rather on the plains near the sea. As the waters rise this habitat is likely to disappear, and the Komodo dragons will have fewer places to go.“, he explains.
Several inhabitants also denounce a vast tourist project of an animal park, where the Komodo will be locked in enclosures.