Up to three meters long and weighing up to 70 kilograms, the world’s largest lizard is in the race to become an official wonder of nature.
Indonesia’s attempt to have Komodo National Park recognized as an official “wonder of nature” has hit a snag, with the New7Wonders Foundation moving to suspend it from the competition, according to a statement late on Monday.
The park, home to rare komodo dragons, is one of the 28 finalists in the Official New7Wonders of Nature competition.
“We have been forced to take this action after weeks of unproductive private and official discussions aiming to resolve an important legal matter positively,” Bernard Weber, president of the New7Wonders Foundation, said in the statement.
The principal reasons Weber cited for this dramatic move were failure to honor a legally binding contract for Jakarta to host the New7Wonders official announcement on Nov. 11, as well as the Ministry of Culture and Tourism dragging its feet on backing up its many public statements of support for the campaign.
The foundation said Weber wrote a personal letter to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono appealing for a speedy resolution of the issue.
“I believe you have the vision, courage and capacity to resolve an issue that is close to the heart of many Indonesians,” he said.
“I can pledge to you now that as soon as things are brought back on track we will immediately halt the suspension process and re-instate Komodo as an authorized finalist in the Official New7Wonders of Nature campaign,” the letter continued.
But Weber left no doubt about the outcome if an agreement was not reached.
“However, should a solution not be forthcoming then we will have to proceed with the complete withdrawal of Komodo and its replacement by another nominee from the official reserve list. We are seeking all avenues in respect of our contractual rights to avoid this ultimate and final step,” he said.
To emphasize the impact of a possible suspension, Weber pointed to the benefits that the first campaign to elect the man-made Official New 7 Wonders of the World delivered.
That campaign climaxed in a spectacular event in Lisbon, Portugal, on July 7, 2007, and a study concluded that more than $5 billion in terms of economic, tourism and national brand value were generated as a result.
He said the selection of the Official New7Wonders of Nature by an expected one billion votes is as significant an event as the football World Cup final and comparable to the Olympic opening ceremony and the Academy Awards.
Yanto, a public relations official at the Ministry of Culture and Tourism told the Jakarta Globe that Minister Jero Wacik would issue an official response soon.
“Right now the concerned parties are meeting to prepare a response to the [New7Wonders] statement. If things go well we could expect a statement tomorrow,” he said.
Yanto added that the ministry was surprised by stories in the media about the development since the ministry received no official statement from the foundation. “We need longer time to carefully work out a response,” he said.
The Komodo National Park is hardly a good bet to win. It has been slipping in rankings, and last week sat at 26th place on the list of 28 finalists. Source
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