Komodo National Park, the last remaining habitat of the world’s largest lizard, is one of the most unique and beautiful places on the 
planet. Consisting of island groups and their surrounding waters, the Park is widely recognized as an outstanding storehouse of globally significant terrestrial and marine biodiversity and, in acknowledgment of its immense value, was designated a Man and Biosphere Reserve in 1986 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991.
The Park was established in 1980, originally to protect the Komodo dragon, which occupies a unique position in the Park’s terrestrial ecosystem and has a high tourism value. This charismatic species has naturally become the flagship species for the Park. Today, the Park’s conservation goals have expanded to include the entire ecosystem, both marine and terrestrial.
However, there is much more to Komodo National Park than the dragons. The Park lies at the heart of the Wallacea bio-region, a transitional zone between the terrestrial flora and fauna of the Asian and Australasian regions. This overlap between two distinct evolutionary eco-regions results in high levels of species richness, and the area is of immense importance for terrestrial conservation.
The oceans of Komodo National Park are equally important, and lie within an area known to scientists and conservationists as the Coral Triangle. This area, where the great Pacific and Indian Oceans converge, is the only equatorial region in the world where there is an exchange of flora and fauna between oceans. It is the heart of the world’s marine biodiversity, containing the richest coral diversity in the world and is home to many highly diverse and threatened marine habitats including fringing and patch coral reefs, mangrove forests, sea grass beds, sea mounts semi-enclosed bays and deep-water habitats.
Considered one of the world's best dive destinations, the Park boundary encloses 1214 km² of coral reefs and coastal marine waters, which are home to more than 800 species of fish, and 385 species of reef-building coral from 70 genera. To put this diversity in perspective, the entire Caribbean Sea, which covers an area of 2,754,000 km² and encompasses the range of habitats from coastal shallows to deep oceanic habitats, is home to only about 1500 species of fish and 30 coral genera. The Park also provides an important habitat and migratory corridor for a diverse assemblage of whales and dolphins, green and hawksbill turtles, dugongs and numerous species of shark and ray. Other spectacular features of Komodo National Park are the resident spawning aggregations of grouper and populations of manta ray, which feed in the strong currents.
From some of the most vivid coral gardens in the world to surreal savannah dotted with Lontar palms to monsoon forest, the Park presents a uniquely primordial environment. The presence of the world’s largest lizard on these islands, together with a rich marine fauna, present opportunities for wildlife viewing that are not possible anywhere else on earth.
planet. Consisting of island groups and their surrounding waters, the Park is widely recognized as an outstanding storehouse of globally significant terrestrial and marine biodiversity and, in acknowledgment of its immense value, was designated a Man and Biosphere Reserve in 1986 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991.The Park was established in 1980, originally to protect the Komodo dragon, which occupies a unique position in the Park’s terrestrial ecosystem and has a high tourism value. This charismatic species has naturally become the flagship species for the Park. Today, the Park’s conservation goals have expanded to include the entire ecosystem, both marine and terrestrial.
However, there is much more to Komodo National Park than the dragons. The Park lies at the heart of the Wallacea bio-region, a transitional zone between the terrestrial flora and fauna of the Asian and Australasian regions. This overlap between two distinct evolutionary eco-regions results in high levels of species richness, and the area is of immense importance for terrestrial conservation.
The oceans of Komodo National Park are equally important, and lie within an area known to scientists and conservationists as the Coral Triangle. This area, where the great Pacific and Indian Oceans converge, is the only equatorial region in the world where there is an exchange of flora and fauna between oceans. It is the heart of the world’s marine biodiversity, containing the richest coral diversity in the world and is home to many highly diverse and threatened marine habitats including fringing and patch coral reefs, mangrove forests, sea grass beds, sea mounts semi-enclosed bays and deep-water habitats.
Considered one of the world's best dive destinations, the Park boundary encloses 1214 km² of coral reefs and coastal marine waters, which are home to more than 800 species of fish, and 385 species of reef-building coral from 70 genera. To put this diversity in perspective, the entire Caribbean Sea, which covers an area of 2,754,000 km² and encompasses the range of habitats from coastal shallows to deep oceanic habitats, is home to only about 1500 species of fish and 30 coral genera. The Park also provides an important habitat and migratory corridor for a diverse assemblage of whales and dolphins, green and hawksbill turtles, dugongs and numerous species of shark and ray. Other spectacular features of Komodo National Park are the resident spawning aggregations of grouper and populations of manta ray, which feed in the strong currents.From some of the most vivid coral gardens in the world to surreal savannah dotted with Lontar palms to monsoon forest, the Park presents a uniquely primordial environment. The presence of the world’s largest lizard on these islands, together with a rich marine fauna, present opportunities for wildlife viewing that are not possible anywhere else on earth.
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Let's support Indonesia's Komodo National Park be New7Wonders of Nature
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