.
. EARTHWATCH PROGRAMS
Komodo
Island National Park, Indonesia
You might as well have stepped into Jurassic Park. You've just been
dropped off on a remote, mountainous island deep in Indonesia, in a place
that was marked on old mariner's maps "here be dragons." Your every sense
is rapier-sharp. You feel the dry heat of the tropical sun burning into
your skin as you rapidly scan the sere savannah landscape. They're here,
you think. Somewhere. An H. L. Mencken line pops into your head: "Penetrating
so many secrets, we cease to believe in the unknowable. But there it sits,
nevertheless, calmly licking its chops." As you take your first hesistant
step, looking back longingly at the boat speeding away into the Flores
Sea, you begin to salivate, and dribbles of sweat run down the small of
your back. For you know you're not the top of the food chain here. You're
in the lair of the world's largest living reptile, the Komodo dragon, a
scaly-skinned lizard that can grow over three meters in length and weigh
as much as a lineman for the Dallas Cowboys. And like that putative lineman,
it likes red meat. Lots of it. Deer and wild boar are its favorite prey,
but it has few scruples when it comes to satisfying its enormous appetite.
Relying on its keen sense of smell, it will track down and eat birds, reptiles,
sea-turtle eggs, carrion, monkeys, young buffaloes, even, in extremely
rare cases, people. You've come to help the Komodo, which, believe it or
not, needs it. Through loss of its habitat to human settlements and loss
of its prey to wild dogs and poachers, the dragon is down to fewer than
5,000 individuals. This gargantuan monitor lizard has been around for millennia,
yet today it stares into the face of extinction.
- RENDEZVOUS LOCATION:
Labuanbajo, Flores Indonesia
- 1998 TEAMS:
- I. June 19 - July 9, 1998
- II. August 10 - 30
- III. September 8 - 28
- SHARE OF COSTS
- RESEARCH AREA
- FIELD LOGISTICS
- VOLUNTEER TASKS
- TO SIGN UP FOR A TEAM
US$2995 ￡1870 A$4150
The geographic range of the Komodo dragon includes the driest area in Indonesia (Komodo has 650mm rain pa) The January storms lose most of their water onto islands north-west of Komodo and the island receives no rain from the June monsoon. The geography is typical of arid, uplifted regions. Vegetational communities are simple, the low rainfall and its seasonal occurrence producing open, semiarid types dominated by savanna. On many islands mangrove forest forms an almost unbroken fringe along the entire coastline. Average annual temperature at sea level on Komodo between June and November is around 28 C (82 F). Fresh water is scarce from June to October in the field, and obtaining treated water either in the villages or at the ranger's post is a necessity before embarking for the field work. The Komodo dragon occurs principally from sea level up to 500-600 m altitude in tropical deciduous monsoon forest, tropical savanna and steppe. Animals have sometimes been observed within the tidal zone, both on the beach and inside mangrove forest, probably searching for food. Given the terrain and the tasks, volunteers will need to be able to be physically fit, capable of coping with hilly terrain and hot, humid conditions. Water Buffalo, deer and wild boar feed in the savanna, but their presence in this habitat varies seasonally. Large colonies of fruit bats roost in the mangroves during the day, and travel to the inland forest at dusk to forage. Monkeys thrive both on Rintja and Flores, and different taxa of birds (Passeriformes, eagles and owls) can be seen on these islands. Several species of snakes, lizards (such as the flying lizards and geckoes are also found within the Park. Of particular interest are the green turtle and hawksbill tutrtle which lay eggs on the most remote beaches of the Park. A vast coral community lies around the islets within the boundaries of the National Park.
RENDEZVOUS: The rendezvous point is the B&B "Chez Felix" in Labuanbajo, on the island of Flores. From Jakarta, Labuanbajo can be reached in a day by flight. It is also possible to take a ferry from the island of Sumbawa to Labuanbajo. Full details of this journey, with recommended accommodation will be provided to volunteers well in advance of their departure to Indonesia. Four islands will be visited (one per team), in each case necessitating short boat crossings of up to an hour. ACCOMMODATIONS: In Labuanbajo volunteers will stay in a losmen, an Indonesian B&B, with twin bed rooms, basic toilets and cold water showers. On the islands accommodation will be at rangers' posts. Sleeping accommodation consists of single, double or 3-bed bedrooms, where either mattresses or straw-mats are provided. It is advisable to bring a light sleeping bag. Toilets and showers are generally located in small separate buildings near the post. Meals are provided in a communal lounge. Electricity is available until 22:30, when the power generator is switched off. FOOD: Depending on the field work timetable, volunteers may or may not have breakfast and lunch together. However, everybody will have dinner at the same time. Shopping, meal preparation and cleaning up are generally done by the local staff. Breakfast consists of tea, coffee, fruit, eggs, and fried bananas. Dinner is mostly based on rice, noodles, fish, meat, and vegetables. Vegetarians will not find any particular problem for their diet. Vegetables, fruit and rice made up the basic meal in these climates. Water, as a precaution, is always boiled before drinking.
During the course of this study, animals will be caught by means of traps (tested in the previous field work), and subsequently sampled by bleeding or tissue biopsies. Moreover, a comprehensive set of data on activity patterns and thermoregulation of the species will be recorded through radiotelemetry, and an estimate of the population size of prey will be carried in specific areas of the Park. Volunteers will get involved in trapping, sample collection, recording animal activity, and in prey population estimate. Results will provide basic information for the management of natural populations of V. komodoensis, and to assist in devising a viable population strategy for reintroduction in the wild.
While no special skills are required to join this expedition, volunteers need to be in excellent shape and will participate in but not be limited to the following activites: Radio-tracking, hiking, climbing, censusing and handling animals.
Volunteers will work with the PI, the local staff, and students from Udajana University. The radiotracking will be conducted throughout the study period and either the whole volunteer team or part of it will take part in this research during each team. Deer and wild boar population estimates will be carried out for one week every month. Collection of tissue samples for genetics study will only be carried out during two sessions.
For further information or to reserve a space on a team, call Project Coordinator Charlie Mellon at 1-800-776-0188 x188 (toll-free in U.S. only) or 617-926-8200 x188; email: [email protected]. A $250 deposit (check or credit card) holds your place.
Team dates and other project logistics are subject to change. Please consult your Earthwatch Project Coordinator or sign up and wait to receive your EarthCorps Briefing before purchasing airline tickets or making other travel arrangements.
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