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UN PhotoTIMOR LESTE / MANGROVE CONSERVATION
STORY: TIMOR LESTE / MANGROVE CONSERVATION
TRT: 04:33
SOURCE: UN NEWS
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: TETUM / NATS
DATELINE: 04 SEPTEMBER 2024, HERA, TIMOR-LESTE
1. Various shots, aerial views of mangrove forest coastline
2. Various shots, mangrove forest
3. Med shot, long-tailed macaque in mangrove forest
4. Med shot, Mangrove Study Center sign
5. Wide shot, KFF Director Alito Rosa guiding UNDP staff visiting mangrove project
6. Med shot, Rosa explaining Mangrove ecosystem
7. SOUNDBITE (Tetum) Alito Rosa, Director, Konservasaun Flora no Fauna (KFF):
“Mangroves can also protect coastal communities from natural disasters, such as tsunamis, hurricanes, strong winds. During the rainy season, mangroves prevent erosion from occurring.”
8. Aerial shot, mangrove forest
9. Wide shot, mangrove forest coastline
10. SOUNDBITE (Tetum) Nelia Dos Santo Oliveira, Woman Leader, Suco Hera, Timor-Leste:
“Because the environment is so important to us, we have been working to plant mangroves. Because mangrove forests are a good habitat for marine life, we must not destroy them.”
11. Aerial shot, mangrove forest coastline
12. SOUNDBITE (Tetum) Raul Amaral sores, Representative, Suco Hera, Timor-Leste:
“Because we believe that this is our land and that we must contribute. Our community actively participates in mangrove planting events.”
13. Aerial shot, mangrove forest coastline
14. SOUNDBITE (Tetum) Alito Rosa, Leader, Konservasaun Flora no Fauna (KFF):
“Of the 13 hectares of mangroves that currently exist in the Hera area, we have successfully restored 3 hectares. Our primary goals are environmental education, nursery production, protection, and building fences to keep mangrove forests safe.”
15. Various shots, mangrove forest
16. SOUNDBITE (Tetum) Alito Rosa, Leader, Konservasaun Flora no Fauna (KFF):
“In the Hera region, we also restore damaged coral reefs and preserve about 15 hectares of sea meadow.”
17. Various shots, fishing boats
18. SOUNDBITE (Tetum) Nelia Dos Santo Oliveira, Woman Leader, Suco Hera, Timor-Leste:
“Since fishing is essential to our way of life as coastal communities, we, women must get involved and contribute. Therefore, in order for us to survive, we must support the marine environment and ecosystem activities.”
19. Various shots, new growth
20. SOUNDBITE (Tetum) Alito Rosa, Leader, Konservasaun Flora no Fauna (KFF):
“Ecosystems are very valuable to Timor because, when viewed through the blue economy lens, they will play a significant role in the future. In our organization, this spirit motivates us to keep making a difference via our work.”
21. Various shots, UNDP team visiting mangrove conservation project
22. Various shots, mangrove forest coastline
Rehabilitating Timor-Leste's mangroves has been a key focus of the Coastal Resilience Program, led by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). The local NGO Konservasaun Flora no Fauna (KFF) with support from UNDP, built a mangrove study center and a tourist site in Hera, and has nursed between 30,000 to 40,000 trees every year to rehabilitate mangrove forests.
Since 1940, Timor-Leste has lost 80 percent of its mangroves. Environmental factors, including sea level rise, more frequent storms, saltwater intrusion, and upstream sedimentation, are compounded by human factors, such as pollution, coastal development and animal grazing.
From 2016 to 2020, nearly 2,000 hectares of mangroves and wetlands have been conserved and restored on Timor’s north and south coasts.
KFF charges a fee for guided tours of the study center and mangrove forest, which is used to support trainings, research and conservation activities.
KFF’s Director, Alito Rosa, said mangroves can protect coastal communities from natural disasters, such as tsunamis, hurricanes, strong winds, during the rainy season, and prevent erosion from occurring.
According to Rosa, of the 13 hectares of mangroves that currently exist in the Hera, three have been successfully restored by the KFF. “Our primary goals are environmental education, nursery production, protection, and building fences to keep mangrove forests safe,” he added.
The organization has also restored damaged coral reefs and preserved about 15 hectares of sea meadow.
The Representative of Suco Hera, Raul Amaral Soares, affirmed that conservation efforts bring the community together. He said, “because we believe that this is our land and that we must contribute. Our community actively participates in mangrove planting events.”
Woman leader Nelia dos Santos Oliveira recognizes that mangrove forests are a good habitat for marine life and must not be destroyed. She has been engaged in trainings and planting activities.
According to dos Santos Oliveira, “since fishing is essential to our way of life as coastal communities, we, women must get involved and contribute. Therefore, in order for us to survive, we must support the marine environment and ecosystem activities”.
Rosa concluded that “ecosystems are very valuable to Timor because, when viewed through the blue economy lens, they will play a significant role in the future. In our organization, this spirit motivates us to keep making a difference via our work.”
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