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Komodo Dragon (Varanus komodoensis) Fact Sheet: Population & Conservation Status
Approximately 5,700 individuals (all islands combined) (Claudino-Sales 2019)
Komodo National Park (Purwandana et al. 2014; data from 2011-2012)
Total national park abundance: about 2,450 individuals
Komodo Island: about 1160 individuals
Rinca Island: about 1185 individuals
Motang island: about 45 individuals
Kode Island: about 55 individuals
Flores
No recent estimates (though population monitoring conducted by Ariefiandy et al. 2015)
100 on W. Flores (Wae Waul Reserve) (IUCN 1998)
2000 scattered in non-protected areas (IUCN 1998)
Conservation Status
IUCN Status
Vulnerable (1996 assessment) (World Conservation Monitoring Centre 1996)
Not Endangered, but facing a high rate of extinction in the medium-term future
CITES
Appendix I: komodo dragon is threatened with extinction and affected by international trade.
Protected under Indonesian law (1931,1990) and 1991 Ministerial Decree
Threats to Survival
Main threat is human interference - habitat destruction due to logging, increased population
Wild dogs
Forest fires started by poachers to drive prey
Dynamite and cyanide poisoning used to collect fish for food has disturbed population
Poaching of deer on Padar led to Komodo's disappearance from this island
Because the wild population is geographically restricted it is sensitive to fluctuations in environmental conditions, disease epidemics, genetic drift, and inbreeding
Small closed populations are predicted to have low levels of genetic variability and increased disease susceptibility.
Deposition of volcanic ash can destroy vegetation and alter habitat.
Flores populations have declined markedly in the past few years because of logging concessions
No Komodos observed on Padar since 1970
Management Actions
Komodo National Park established in 1980: First management unit - 1984.
173,300 hectares on 3 major islands - Komodo, Rinca and Gilli Motang
Funded from central government office in Jakarta
Management team is called " Perlindungan Hutan Dan Pelestarian Alam" or PHPA and is based at Labuan Bajo on the west coast of Fores. Staff of 90 (54 rangers)
Park Administration has initiated a conservation awareness program for young people in the region - some training of tour guides - participation in annual census.
Future plans: Extend KNP boundaries to two further islands; restrict population growth of island villages (two on Rinca and one on Komodo)