Timor Leste

Our unique neighbour

Independence came at a cost – the Timorese lost a third of their population (an estimated 200,000 people) in the struggle for freedom. The courage, resilience and determination of the Timorese people in freeing their country from such a powerful military regime touched the hearts of many people around the world. Today however, Timor faces the many social and environmental challenges that are so often the legacy of conflict.

Not a lot is known about Timor’s ecology. Very little field research has been done, and it is almost certain that there are many species of mammals, frogs and reptiles which are as yet unknown to western science.

Timor of is of high conservation significance as it is part of a global centre of evolution, known as the “Wallacea hotspot”. The hotspot is roughly triangular in shape, the bottom edge stretching from Lombok almost to Irian Jaya. Timor lies in the middle of this bottom edge. Wallacea is defined by Wallace's Line, named after the 19th century English explorer and naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace, who discovered that the animal types on either side of the line were different.

Further, Timor’s isolation, and patchwork history of colonisation has resulted in Timor becoming a haven for a range of birds, frogs, reptiles, trees and invertebrates which either exist in few other places, or nowhere else at all. Many of these species are dependent on the few small patches of closed canopy tropical dry forests that remain on Timor.

Geologically, Timor has been described as a ‘tectonic chaos’ due to its extraordinary formation. The island of Timor is formed by the forward thrust of the Australian tectonic plate in the direction of the Asian plate. The movement of these massive plates has created and trapped a set of multi-island ridges of which Timor is the most prominent. The island is still being formed. In the distant geological future, the mountains of Timor, given the enormous pressure that is being brought to bear beneath them, are expected to rise to the heights of the Himalayas.

The rugged mountains that run the length of its 15,007 square kilometre landmass, shelter hundreds of tiny villages interconnected by a web of small paths. At the coast, parts of Timor are surrounded by beautiful coral reefs and mangroves, supporting a wide diversity of marine life. Fish and seafoods are usually sold through sellers threading them onto leave-‘strings’ and carrying them along busy streets on a stick. Fish is a treat, but rice, corn, beans and other vegetables are the mainstays, with generous helpings of chilli. Coffee is both a common crop and a liquid staple of many Timorese. Timorese drink their coffee strong and black with lots of sugar.

The environmental costs of the long period of colonisation and occupation were very high. Massive deforestation took place during successive occupations. Much of the forest was napalmed by Indonesian military in its attempts to drive and to destroy potential hideouts for the resistance fighters. Most of the nation’s valuable Sandalwood trees were ripped out by their roots by the Indonesians because the oil content is highest in its roots. Erosion is now a serious problem, as is the spread of a wide range of introduced weeds.

The Timorese are now facing the momentous task of rebuilding their country in a way that both conserves their scarce remaining natural resources and provides for the many people living in extreme poverty. Adding to the challenge are low levels of relevant local expertise and very limited infrastructure such as decent health clinics and schools in rural areas.

ACF's Asia Pacific Unit is currently working with a couple of Timorese groups to overcome some of these hurdles and to support local initiatives in exploring sustainable development options for the future.