Who ‘Owns’ the Blessings of Komodo?

The local people do not see much profit. The majority ends up working for the investors for less than the provincial minimum wage.

Kompas/Heru Sri Kumoro

A woman fetches water from a saltwater well on Sept. 1 in Papagarang village of Komodo district, West Manggarai, East Nusa Tenggara. The saltwater is used to wash clothing and for bathing. The villagers must buy clean water for cooking and drinking, as no freshwater springs exist in the arid area.

The sky over the hilly Waecicu Beach in Labuan Bajo, West Manggarai, East Nusa Tenggara, slowly turned from blue to red as the sun turned in for the day on Aug. 28. Jefri Warut, 25, and a dozen or so foreign travelers ignored the thick dust rising beyond the hills and enjoyed the view of the setting sun.

Trucks carrying construction materials traveled to and from the area, causing thick dust to float in the air. Since 2013, a number of investors have been constructing starred hotels on Waecicu Beach.