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n the wake of a fire that burned 10 hectares of savanna on the island of Gili Lawa Darat in the famous Komodo National Park earlier this month, the government has announced a plan to limit the number of visitors to the world heritage site “to maintain the ecosystem’s stability”.

The Environment and Forestry Ministry’s director general for natural resources and ecosystems, Wiratno, said recently that the overwhelming number of tourists to the habitat of the world’s largest living lizard, the Komodo dragon, had caused multiple types of damage to the park’s nature, the fire being just one of those.

Located in Manggarai Barat regency of East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), the park is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The fire on Aug. 1 was allegedly caused by a lit cigarette tossed by a visitor. The West Manggarai Police have questioned 11 witnesses to find out who was responsible for the incident.

Piles of garbage left behind by tourists also caused damage to the national park, Wiratno said.

Ministry data show that 10,250 people, both from Indonesia and overseas, visit the Komodo National Park per month. That number stands in stark contrast to just 130 officers and rangers assigned to manage and monitor the park.

“More than 10,000 visitors every month is a very large number. We will limit it to 5,000 per month, probably,” Wiratno said recently, adding that his office would issue a decree regulating the matter by the end of this year, after conducting some studies.

The decree — set to take effect next year — would also include the dos and don’ts for Komodo National Park visitors.

Once the new regulation is in effect, people planning to visit the park will need to register online, with sign-ups limited by a daily quota.

Businesses that are likely to be affected by the new regulation surprisingly have thrown their support behind the government’s plan.

Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI) chairman Hariyadi Sukamdani said the sustainability of the ecosystems on Komodo National Park had to be prioritized above all other things in order to protect the endangered Komodo dragon.

“With the restriction on daily tourist [numbers], I hope that potential visitors can adjust the timing of their visit,” Hariyadi said on Sunday.

PHRI’s NTT office chairman Fredi Ongko Saputra said tourism should not sacrifice nature.

The Komodo National Park consists of 146 islands, with eight popular destinations being the islands of Komodo, Padar, Rinca, Gili Lawa Darat, Fili Lawa Lautan, Kambing and Kalong.

The number of tourists visiting the park has continuously increased over the past few years.

Ministry data show that a total of 123,000 people, 95 percent of them being foreigners, visited the Komodo National Park last year, up roughly 11 percent from 107,000 visitors in 2016.

The park has contributed Rp 16 billion (US$1.1 million) in non-tax revenue (PNBP) to government coffers from January to July this year.

The Environment and Forestry Ministry, however, has been in the spotlight of late for its controversial policy to grant permits to private companies to build infrastructure and facilities, such as an inn and a restaurant on Komodo, Rinca and Padar islands.

A group of people claiming to be local residents staged a rally in front of the Manggarai Barat legislative building, regent office and Komodo National Park office last week to protest what they called a ‘privatization’ plan.

The ministry has defended its decision, citing that the development was intended to support tourism.