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Building sustainable landscapes and local livelihoods through community forestry in Timor-Leste

XV World Forestry Congress, 2-6 May 2022








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    Book (stand-alone)
    Current fisheries and aquaculture policies relevant to RFLP in Timor-Leste
    Regional Fisheries Livelihoods Programme for South and Southeast Asia. (GCP/RAS/237/SPA)
    2010
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    The country of Timor-Leste and particularly its small island districts are highly dependent upon their marine resources for economic and social development. Fisheries is an important livelihood source and provides sustenance for the people of the country, contributing to food security, poverty alleviation, employment, foreign exchange earnings, development and the stability of rural and coastal communities, while also providing culture, recreation and tourism. In the National First Development P lan of Timor-Leste 2002, the Agriculture sector on which 85% of the population depend, was third priority after the Health, and Education sectors. One agriculture sub-sector with potential is the fisheries (Anon, 2007). Timor-Leste has great fishing potential, but the sector is under-developed. The main fishing grounds, which are along the northern and southern coasts, provide a diversified range of fish and shellfish, most of which is for internal consumption. Despite an abundance of aquatic pr oducts little reaches Timor-Leste‟s interior (Anon, 2007). Timor-Leste has 706 km of coastline and an marine exclusive economic zone (EEZ), over which it has exclusive fishing rights, of approximately 75,000 km2. Though this fishing area is small by international standards, it has the potential to provide valuable high grade animal protein to feed Timor-Leste‟s people and to provide employment, significant income earning opportunities and foreign exchange from fish exports. The value of Timor-Le ste‟s aquatic marine resources and the resulting benefits to our people, both in the short-term and long-term, will depend on how well these resources are managed (Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries State Secretariat of Fisheries, 2007). Inland, aquaculture of tilapia and carp played a significant role in the rural economy prior to independence from Indonesia. When the Indonesians departed in 1999, hatcheries and ponds were destroyed or damaged, and broodstock were consumed. The National Dire ctorate of Fisheries and Aquaculture (NDFA) is actively working to restore the rural aquaculture sector, which will make an important contribution to improving rural food security. This policy is based on a review of progress made over the last several years and updates our previous strategic plan “Fish for the Future: a strategic plan for the fisheries of East Timor” released in May 2001. This new document like the Fisheries Law, the Government Decree Law and other documents also emphasises iss ues that need to be addressed to ensure there will be sufficient fish for future generations.
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    Project
    Improving Food Security and Reducing Rural Poverty in Timor-Leste - GCP/TIM/008/EC 2020
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    Around 36 percent of the population of Timor-Leste is chronically food insecure, while the country faces high levels of exposure to disasters such as droughts, floods, storms, pests, soil erosion and forest fires. Given the lack of technical expertise in Timor-Leste’s public and private sectors in terms of applied research in sustainable agriculture and natural resources management, and with vulnerable rural communities becoming increasingly affected by natural hazards, there was a need to provide farmers with the skills and support needed to improve household and national food security and reduce rural poverty. In response, the project aimed to support the Government of Timor-Leste, in particular the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, in building back livelihoods and income sources, while mitigating the further deterioration of the nutritional status of El Niño-affected families and most vulnerable households. The anticipated outcome was enhanced livelihood resilience for vulnerable farm families in drought-prone areas of the country through the integration of disaster risk management, early warning and the promotion of Climate-Smart Agriculture technologies and practices.
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    Project
    Support for Developing and Implementing Community Forestry - TCP/TIM/3702 2022
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    Timor Leste is a country with abundant surface of forestry As a large rural population is highly dependent on upland agriculture, forest and livestock for their livelihoods, it is crucial that rural communities contribute to the protection and management of forests, conservation of catchment areas, reforestation, and market and enterprise development for generating income and employment Poverty is endemic, and almost half of the rural population lived below the national poverty line in 2014 The country’s mature natural and planted forests are important sources of products for example, timber and non wood forest products, some of which are sold in the market These forests also provide environmental services, such as ensuring water quality, soil protection, and biodiversity conservation However, there are regional and local variations in forest conditions, resulting in considerable differences in the extent of forest contributions to rural livelihoods, income and employment Against this background, there was a need to improve the Government of Timor Leste’s institutional capacity, in order to enhance the participation of local communities in forestry management.

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