The "Community Based Special Integrated Community Owned Area Development" or Special Community Economic Zone project was initiated to provide support to the Indigenous low income communities in coping with the significant tourism development on Komodo Island.

The primary objective of CHL Indonesia was to prevent the gentrification of the local communities by empowering them to become land housing developers, specifically catering to the accommodation needs of the new hotel workers. In this project, CHL experimented with the concept of a "Community Land Trust," which, at that time, was not yet legally enacted. The idea was to establish a framework where land ownership and development were collectively managed by the community, ensuring their active participation and benefit from the tourism industry.

Additionally, a "Community Home Stay program" was introduced to provide opportunities for local residents to offer their homes as accommodations for tourists. Unfortunately, due to budget constraints during the Covid-19 pandemic, the program had to be cancelled.

Overall, the project aimed to empower the local communities by involving them in the tourism sector and ensuring their active participation and benefit-sharing, while also preserving their cultural and environmental heritage.