“Ora (Komodo) Tanpa Sampah” Maintaining the Balance of Marine Ecosystems with a beach cleanup at Loh Liang Beach, Komodo National Park

Labuan Bajo, July 12, 2023 – Wastehub® The Wastehub Alam Lestari Foundation is a foundation that focuses on circular economy and green initiatives in urban areas and tourism with an integrated systems approach and involves many parties together with the Komodo National Park Office, Buah Tangan x The Entrepreneurs Society and Voluntrip Kitabisa conducted a Beach Cleanup activity with 33 people involved on July 12-13 2023 which took place at Loh Liang Komodo National Park.

Taman Nasional Komodo is the only habitat in the world for the giant lizard species, Komodo, with a population of around 5,700. It was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991. Komodo National Park also boasts extraordinary marine life, especially in Loh Liang Beach, known for its rich biodiversity.

The Lost and Found event took place from July 12-13, 2023, involving various groups like the Komodo National Park, BuahTangan x The Entrepreneurs Society, Voluntrip Kitabisa, and KSU Komodo as local partners for waste management. Wastehub® (Yayasan Wastehub Alam Lestari) was chosen as the event partner, supporting the vision of Labuan Bajoku Indah, Labuan Bajoku Tanpa Sampah.

The main goal of this event was to fight plastic pollution through hands-on actions. The event started with a women's coastal entrepreneurship seminar on July 11, 2023, aiming to improve local resource use and entrepreneurship skills. Participants then took part in a live-in program in Komodo Village to learn about local culture.

The highlight was the Beach Cleanup on July 12-13, 2023, followed by a waste audit to analyze the types and amounts of waste collected. The cleanup involved selected volunteers and local organizations like Wine Raso Kiling, Ora Komodo, BTNK members, PT. Flobamor, local traders, and residents concerned about the environment around Loh Liang Beach. Starting at 2:00 PM WITA, the event opened with Ranitya Nurlita from Wastehub® providing education about different types of waste. Participants then cleaned the beach for about an hour, after which the collected waste was taken to Pelabuhan Pelni. The Dinas Lingkungan Hidup Manggarai Barat handled the transport of residual waste.

After the cleanup, a waste audit was conducted to understand the types and brands of waste polluting the beach. The audit found 29 kg of residual waste (2 bags) and 110 kg of recyclable waste such as plastic bottles and other materials (13 bags), totaling 139 kg of waste collected (15 bags). The residual waste was transported by the Manggarai Barat Environmental Agency, while the recyclable waste was processed by KSU Komodo. The cleanup ended at 4:00 PM WITA, encouraging people to start sorting waste from the source.

Volunteers shared meaningful reflections. Klemens Rahardja, Founder of The Entrepreneurs Society, highlighted the importance of such activities to understand the impact of waste management systems, especially in culturally significant areas. Variant from the BuahTangan Community described the experience as unforgettable, finding new meaning from the activity. Riki and Novi emphasized the need for collective action and education to bring about lasting change.

Support from key stakeholders was also significant. Lukman Hidayat, Head of SPTN II of Komodo National Park, confirmed their full support for conservation efforts. Vitalis Jelanu from the Manggarai Barat Environmental Agency stressed the need for continuous efforts, especially from tourism and stakeholders, to prevent marine pollution. He concluded by emphasizing the importance of protecting the marine ecosystem in TNK to support sustainable ecotourism.

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