Compang Liang Ndara Community Hands Over Seven Hectares for Tourism

Labuan Bajo — A customary community in Compang Liang Ndara village, Manggarai Barat, has handed over around seven hectares of land near Liang Ndara Cave to the local government for tourism development, according to local media reports published in mid‑March 2024.

The land lies in Mbeliling sub-district and forms part of a wider tourism area associated with Liang Ndara Cave and surrounding cultural sites, which have been promoted as a village tourism destination.

Coverage in regional outlets describes the handover as a community initiative to allow the administration to manage and develop the area so that tourism can better support residents’ livelihoods.

Reports say the handover followed a meeting of customary leaders and village officials on Monday, 11 March 2024, with a signing ceremony held at the site near Liang Ndara Cave.

The village of Compang Liang Ndara itself is a relatively new administrative unit, formed from the original Liang Ndara village and designated as a tourism village in Manggarai Barat in 2022, according to a March 2024 article.

Extent and attractions of the site

Local media state that the community handed over around seven hectares of customary land in the Wae Moto area around Liang Ndara Cave.

In addition to the cave, the area is reported to include customary ritual spaces and other natural features considered to have tourism potential.

Regional coverage of Compang Liang Ndara highlights several attractions: Liang Ndara Cave itself, ancestral objects and cultural traditions, another cave known as Liang Rodak and the Wae Satar Waterfall, all viewed by local authorities as prospective tourism sites.

Community objectives and government role

According to reporting from Kupang-based media, village representatives said the land transfer was intended to enable the Manggarai Barat administration to manage and develop tourism so that local residents could benefit economically.

They noted that the tourism potential of the area had not previously been fully developed, partly because of its status as customary land, and expressed hope that clearer government management would allow investment in facilities and promotion.

The coverage indicates broad community support, with customary figures and village officials involved in the handover, but it does not publish the detailed text of any agreement or list all signatories.

Next steps and broader tourism plans

Local reporting from March 2024 links the handover to plans by the Manggarai Barat administration to organise Compang Liang Ndara as a tourism destination within the wider Labuan Bajo region.

Separate reports on tourism development in Manggarai Barat show the local government using national and regional funding to build facilities for other attractions, including the Ngalor Kalo agrotourism site in Lembor, which has received infrastructure investment and is being promoted as a new destination.

Officials have stated that destinations outside Komodo National Park, such as caves, waterfalls and agrotourism areas, are being developed to diversify tourism and generate local revenue.

However, publicly available March 2024 reports on Compang Liang Ndara do not specify whether the seven-hectare Wae Moto parcel has already been certified as a government asset, nor do they describe a detailed site plan, environmental study or visitor management scheme for the cave area.

As of those reports, Compang Liang Ndara’s potential is described mainly in terms of its natural and cultural attractions and the community’s willingness to cooperate with the government to turn the area into a destination that supports local welfare.

Sources

• Pos-Kupang (Kupang.tribunnews.com) – Jalan Rusak dan Potensi Wisata di Desa Compang Liang Ndara Labuan Bajo
• Floresku.com – Intip 6 Hal Menarik di Desa Wisata Liang Ndara, Manggarai Barat
• Detik – Cuan Pariwisata Labuan Bajo: BTNK Rp 53 Miliar, Pemda Hanya Rp 2 Miliar
• InfoMabar – Program Fasmadewi 2024 Memuncak di Agrowisata Ngalor Kalo
• FloresPos Net – Agrowisata Ngalor Kalo Manggarai Barat