By: I Made Bayu Gunantara (Sekolah Tinggi Pariwisata Bali Internasional (STPBI), Responsible Marine Tourism Intern, WWF-Indonesia)

In addition to Rintja Village, I also spent a week in Papagarang Village, Komodo National Park. This village is located within the Papagarang Island area, which used to be called the buffer zone. The 426 families who live in this village come from different ethnic backgrounds. Lombok, Manggarai, Bima, Bugis-Makassar, Bajo, Flores, and so on.

Most people work as fishermen. It can be said that Papagarang Village is a village of struggle. Residents adapt to areas without clean water sources, the rainfed system has been their choice for decades.

I felt the stinging heat when I first arrived. Passing the houses built on stilts that are built tightly to each other, and rushing to the house of the Komodo National Park Forestry Police (Polhut) post.

There, Abdul, the post guard, was waiting with a big smile. "It's hot...it's really hot here," he says. He told me a lot about Papagarang Village and about the tasks he had to carry out while working in Papagarang.

On another day, I meet Suharto or Harto. This Papagarang-born man used to be a fisherman and has stopped since taking over as head of village government affairs. In his spare time, Harto goes fishing. "If you need a side dish, you just need to paddle. We are lucky because this area is in conservation," he explained.

In the past, he resisted the idea of making Papagarang part of the Komodo dragon National Park. "I even invited other people to protest. "We were worried that if the village was included in the protected area, fishermen would no longer be able to fish in the sea." Harto changed his mind when he joined the Community Forest Police Partners.

"I learned about conservation, and it turns out that a lot of what I did in the past was wrong. For example, I used to look for seven eyes by prying the coral, and this caused damage to the coral. What I did was the same as destroying fish houses, coral reefs are one of the places where fish spawn, as well as a home for small fish," he said.

"I regret that I once destroyed the nature that I have, Mas," he told me, "I am now trying to make other people aware, so that they know how important it is to conserve," Harto concluded firmly.

True to his word, Suharto is indeed active in educating the community about the importance of conservation. As Village Clerk, Suharto hopes to be able to create a conservation program that runs continuously, and encourage Papagarang to develop as a tourist village. "Tourism can help us maintain this nature continuously and sell its beauty to tourists," he said.

Agus (21 years old), a Papagarang villager, is the naturalist guide at Loh Buaya that I also met. He used to be a young fisherman who looked for fish by any means. "Even if a fish was hidden in a coral reef, I would hunt for it. If necessary, I would destroy the coral reefs," he explains.

When he became a naturalist guide for Komodo National Park, and was given knowledge about conservation, Agus realized how big the impact would be if coral reefs were destroyed. "Now I always tell my family to fish in the zones designated by Komodo National Park."

Everyone I met had the same stories about their villages. The difficult situation, tourism that does not directly touch their area, to the new awareness that arises to protect the national park area.

Talking to them is like talking about a future that is definitely in sight, but it takes great strength to make that future a reality. But, that great power is in them, the villagers who thrive with their natural tourism.

This series of writings is part of I Made Bayu Gunantara's two-month record of supporting WWF-Indonesia and Komodo National Park programs as a community facilitator in the tourism sector. The mentoring activities are divided into three main focuses, namely marine, fisheries, and tourism. The program aims to open doors and bridge needs at the community level in Komodo National Park..