East and West Nusa Tenggara

Nusa Tenggara, or the Lesser Sundas, is a chain of islands stretching across 900 km from Lombok, near Bali in the west through Sumbawa, Flores and Sumba, to Timor in the east. The most famous nature conservation area in this region is the Komodo Natio nal Park, renowned as the home of the endemic lizard species, the Komodo dragon.

The islands of Nusa Tenggara have served as natural laboratories of evolution because of their long isolation from the rest of the nearby areas, including both Indonesia and Australia. Many endemic species are found here.

However, threats to the diverse habitats and ecosystems of Nusa Tenggara have arisen primarily from the continued and rapid rate of deforestation. Unsustainable exploitation of its coral reefs and fishing grounds have also taken their toll.

As population has increased, the people have turned to more unsustainable practices with regard to natural resources, including poaching, fish bombing, and burning of forests and grasslands to establish cultivable fields. Poorly managed tourism, particula rly in the Komodo area and in Lombok, have added to the environmental problems.

WWF's Indonesia Programme aims to develop a regional conservation action plan to secure and increase protected area coverage, especially since many islands still have little or no formal protection for threatened areas. Its goal is to harmonize conservati on and development needs, and to encourage people participation in the implementation of a conservation programme.

Specific projects, revolving around its initial field site at the Mt Mutis Nature Reserve, involve establishing and delineating conservation area boundaries on a participatory basis, introducing non-destructive sustainable livelihood schemes, promoting co nservation awareness and assisting local authorities in developing ecotourism.


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