Komodo National Park

Ever seen a komodo dragon? The Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis), is a species of lizard found in the Indonesian islands of Komodo, Rinca, Flores, and Gili Motang. A member of the monitor lizard family Varanidae, it is the largest living species of lizard, growing to a maximum length of 3 metres in rare cases and weighing up to approximately 70 kilograms.

One of the most popular tourist destination to see them is the Komodo National Park.

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. 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 National Park has been selected as one of the New7Wonders of Nature. The waters surrounding Komodo island contain rich marine biodiversity. Komodo islands is also a part of the Coral Triangle, which contains some of the richest marine biodiversity on Earth.

The hot and dry climate of the park, characterized by savannah vegetation, makes it a good habitat for the endemic Komodo dragon. Their populations are restricted to the islands of Komodo, Rinca, Gili Motang, Gili Dasami, and Flores, while extinct on Padar.

Cloud forests appear only in few areas above 500 metres but they provide habitat to several endemic flora. Coastal vegetation includes mangrove forest, which generally appear in the sheltered bays of the three larger islands.

Fringing and patch coral reefs are extensive and best developed on the north-east coast of Komodo. The park is rich in marine life, including whale sharks, ocean sunfish, manta rays, eagle rays, pygmy seahorse, false pipefish, clown frogfish, nudibranchs, blue-ringed octopus, sponges, tunicates, and coral.

Varieties of cetaceans inhabit in adjacent waters from smaller sized dolphins to sperm whales and even blue whales. Omura's whales, one of the least known of rorquals have been confirmed to range waters within the park. Endangered dugongs still live in Komodo areas as well.

All of the biodiversity contained within the Park made me want to go there. To be able to see the beautiful nature of the islands and the Komodo dragons are good enough of a reason. There are also other activities that can be enjoyed, the popular one being scuba diving to see the marine biodiversity.

Sadly, a section of Komodo National Park is due to closure on January 2020 for a year. The decision to close the park was made by the Nusa Tenggara Timor (NTT) provincial governor Viktor Laiskodat in order to make improvements. Governor Laiskodat said that a budget of Rp 100 billion would be provided to support the conservation program.

That is all I can say about the Komodo National Park, I apologized for any mistakes as I have not visited the place myself, thus, I cannot describe it accurately.