Protecting the world's largest lizard, the Komodo Dragon

It’s a super predator, winning the prize for the world’s largest lizard and armed with a formidable venom… You would think the Komodo Dragon has nothing to fear. However, this impressive reptile from Indonesia is a victim of habitat degradation due to agriculture, forestry, tourism development, and poaching. Classified as “endangered” on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List, the species is believed to number only 3,500 individuals in the wild today. Half of them reside in the Komodo National Park, a 1,800 km² reserve created to preserve the Komodo Dragon and its habitat.

 

A National Park to protect them

The Pairi Daiza Foundation has been supporting the “Komodo Survival Program” since 2007, an Indonesian organization dedicated to protecting the Komodo dragon in its natural habitat. Their work helps refine our understanding of the species’ biology by collecting data on population, habitat, and movements of the Komodo dragons. Control patrols are also implemented to protect the animals and their environment. Lastly, local communities are engaged from a young age, including through awareness campaigns in schools.