East Ventures fosters forest conservation and nature tourism in Komodo National Park

East Ventures, a leading and pioneering sector-agnostic venture capital firm in Indonesia, supported the management of conservation and nature tourism in Labuan Bajo, especially in the Komodo National Park. In collaboration with the Komodo National Park, the local government, and communities, this support consists of three main activities, including the planting of 5,000 mangrove seedlings, revitalizing tourist facilities, and cleaning up trash in the Komodo National Park area.

“This activity is part of East Ventures’ commitment to fostering forest conservation and natural tourism in Komodo National Park, one of Indonesia’s tourism icons. We are delighted to collaborate with Komodo National Park and the local community in conducting this activity. We hope that East Ventures can embrace a new tourism tradition of corporate event, where every corporate visitor do not leave traces of tourism that can damage nature and where every visit has a direct positive impact on the local community,” said Willson Cuaca, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at East Ventures.

Mangrove planting is dedicated to enhancing the blue carbon ecosystem in Komodo National Park, which is also in line with the annual commemoration of World Mangrove Day on 26 July. The first mangrove seedling was planted on 24 July 2023 at Papagarang Island, West Manggarai Regency, East Nusa Tenggara. The event was attended by Lukman Hidayat, Head of SPTN II of Komodo National Park, H Abdullah, Chief of Papagarang Village, West Manggarai Regency, Community Service Program students from Gadjah Mada University, Brawijaya University, NHI Bandung Tourism Polytechnic, students from SD Negeri 1 Papagarang, and the local community. The 5,000 mangrove seedlings will be planted on Papagarang Island and other coastal areas, such as Loh Sebita and Keronton.

Trash cleanup in Komodo National Park

East Ventures also conducted the waste cleanup in Komodo National Park, collaborating with Rekosistem, a climate tech startup specializing in waste management in Indonesia. The event, themed “Bersih Bersih Bajo” (Cleaning Up Bajo), collected 899,9 kg of waste (consisting of plastic, residue and inorganic waste), which will be sorted, recorded, and processed for recycling in Labuan Bajo.

The revitalization of several tourist destination facilities in Komodo National Park

East Ventures revitalized several tourist destination facilities in the Komodo National Park area, including Padar Island (South Padar and North Padar), Rinca Island (Loh Buaya), Komodo Island (Loh Liang), and Gili Lawa Island. The support provided reached IDR 306,906,854, which includes the installation of two solar panels and one charging station by Xurya – one of the portfolio companies of East Ventures in the renewable energy sector – to fulfill electricity needs at the ticket counter on South Padar Island. Moreover, the support includes revitalizing the toilet facility, information board, rope, and operational equipment such as uniforms and hats for the rangers and naturalist guide, loudspeakers, and proto phones. This support is expected to enhance operational activities at several tourist attractions in Komodo National Park. 

The Komodo National Park appreciates East Ventures as a company with a high awareness of forest and environmental conservation in the Komodo National Park area. “Lots of companies benefit from ecotourism in Komodo National Park, but not many of them have been motivated to contribute back to nature conservation efforts and improve the welfare of local communities. East Ventures is an example of a good company that can be a role model for other companies. The event at Papagarang Resort yesterday also involved many stakeholders in Labuan Bajo, forming a real collaboration in protecting the natural beauty of Komodo National Park. We believe this support can positively impact sustainable nature tourism management in Komodo National Park,” said Hendrikus Rani Siga, Head of Komodo National Park.