By: carelc

carelc — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 17:46:10 +0000

I don’t expect to change your mind on anything; our differences stem not from an information imbalance but from substantially differing values. I would, however, like to clear a couple of things up. First, i didn’t mean to characterize the Komodo Buginese as pirates. The reference to Bugis pirates was meant only as an unrelated but interesting aside, as was Komodo Village’s genesis as a penal colony. Komodo villagers are no more criminal than Australians, whose national history mirrors Komodo’s. I believe, as you do, that the park villagers are innocent victims in this story. Your characterization of them as “pushed around” is correct. Like you said, they’re poor and uneducated, ie. politically weak. On the other hand, your contention that “the Oras will make out,” is harder to justify. Their survival in their tiny island habitat is extremely tenuous. The choice, and it’s a real one, gets down to the continued survival in the wild of a unique and amazing species vs. the rights of the people in the local community. It’s a tough judgment, and we can all expect to see plenty more like it. Money is not what the Oras need, it’s to be left alone, and tourism is as big a threat to the Central Nusa Tengarra ecology as anything else. I’m as suspicious as you of the vaunting of “ecotourism” as a cure-all for ecological woes, usually by vested interests. It’s snake oil, plain and simple. You’re right; the park villagers are getting screwed, but as population and standard of living increase, our interests collide more frequently, and the freedoms you cherish will fall away out of necessity. You can’t have it all, and we all have to start making some choices. Like I said in my post, the dilemma of Komodo Village is a microcosm of our own future.
Oh yeah, and the basic WSJ article thesis that Komodo Dragon behavior is changing and that they’re more dangerous to people is pure hogwash.

Comments on: I’m Not Retracting

By: carelc