“Twin Brothers”: Claim-Making Strategies by the Ata Modo in the Tourism Development Project of Komodo National Park, West Manggarai

Abstract

The Komodo monitor lizard is an endangered species found only on the Indonesian islands of Komodo, Rinca, Flores and Gili Motang. To protect them, a national park was established in the 1980s. In 2019, the Indonesian government designated Komodo National Park as a super­-premium tourist destination, sparking controversy over its impact on the indigenous Ata Modo people. This article examines the claim-making process of the Ata Modo community, supported by local NGOs. Claim-making – the assertion of rights over land and resources – plays a crucial role in tourism projects, often leading to uneven development that threatens community livelihoods, indigenous wildlife and the environment as a whole. The 2021 super-premium tourism development in West Manggarai involving Komodo National Park is used as a case study to explore how people secure their rights to land and animals. The Ata Modo’s claim-making has helped them to maintain their livelihoods despite ongoing political contestation. The article aims to elucidate the political processes of appropriation, access and contestation in claims to land, animals and the environment, providing insights into the interplay between society, local knowledge of human–non-human relationships and political dynamics.