In a bid to conserve its rare reptiles, the Indonesian government has confirmed its plans to close the Komodo Island completely to the public from January next year.

The government said the scheme will also involve the evacuation of about 2, 000 villagers off the island which is part of the province of East Nusa Tenggara.

It is hoped that closing the island to tourists will cut the risk of poaching and allow a recovery in the numbers of animals preyed on. Such animals, the government said include deer, buffaloes and wild boars. 

Local authorities say the island could reopen after a year but that the plan for the temporary shutting down was to make the island a premium tourist destination.

More than 176,000 tourists visited Komodo National Park, a conservation area between the islands of Sumbawa and Flores in 2018. The whole area was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991.

About 1, 700 Komodo dragons are estimated to live on Komodo island. Other islands in the national park which are home to more than 1, 400 of the giant lizards will however remain open to tourists.