Just Accepted
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Local knowledge of Komodo dragons (Varanus komodoensis) in north central Flores (Indonesia) and implications for the species’ conservation
Abstract
Context: Besides Komodo and other small islands to the east, Varanus komodoensis is found near the western extremity of Flores and along the island’s north coast. How far east along this coast they extend remains a question. Aims: Ethnographic research undertaken in 2008 produced reports of dragons in the region of Nggolo Nio in north central Flores. In 2018 and 2024, the author returned to this region to collect further information on local knowledge of the lizards and their local survival. Methods: Open-ended and directed questioning of informants was conducted in the national language, Bahasa Indonesia. Key results: 11 men and 3 women had observed V. komodoensis locally and provided descriptions. The most recent sightings occurred during the last 5 to 10 years. A mass sighting occurred around 2017, of a specimen that, unusually, had entered a settlement in the western part of the Nggolo Nio region. This was observed by 8 interviewees, including the 3 women. The species in general was described with reference to size, colour, vocalizations, diet, behaviour, habitat, and relations with humans. All reports focused partly on differences between V. komodoensis and the smaller Varanus salvator. Conclusions: All accounts indicated the same species was being described, and further that V. komodoensis survives in Nggolo Nio territory, though in small numbers which villagers stated had declined over the last 2 to 3 decades. Though ambiguous, the findings of camera trapping by herpetological researchers in 2014-2019 lends some support to these local claims.
PC24105 Accepted 04 March 2025
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