JAKARTA • Indonesia's Komodo Island will close by the beginning of next year, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) Tourism Agency head Wayan Darmawa has announced.

"It is definite; we have decided to close Komodo Island next year," Mr Wayan said on Thursday, as reported by Antara news agency.

The closure is intended for environmental rehabilitation of the island and to improve conservation efforts for the Komodo dragons.

Mr Wayan said the decision was made by the NTT administration and the Environment and Forestry Ministry on Wednesday, adding that President Joko Widodo has agreed to the matter.

On his visit to Labuan Bajo on July 10 and 11, President Joko said there should be a visitor limit on the island considering it was a conservation area.

He suggested nearby Rinca Island as an alternative for visitors wishing to see Komodo dragons.

The island is also a natural habitat of the dragon and is included in the Komodo National Park.

NTT Governor Viktor B. Laiskodat said the administration would provide a budget of 100 billion rupiah (S$9.8 million) for the island's rehabilitation.

On Wednesday, the plan was met with a protest from residents in West Manggarai regency in front of the regency office, regional council office and the Komodo National Park Agency.

The protesters objected to the plan to remove residents from the island, as proposed by the governor.

Mr Ihsan Abdul Amir, one of the protesters, said that residents living within the national park had supported the island's conservation efforts and tourism development for years.

"We have long been involved in the conservation-based tourism. The island's closure will deprive us of our source of income," said Mr Ihsan, as quoted by kompas.com.

THE JAKARTA POST/ASIA NEWS NETWORK