Introduction
East Timor is located in the Lesser Sunda Islands (part of the Australian continental plate), and includes the eastern end of the island of Timor, the Oecussi enclave in West Timor, and the islands of Atauro and Jaco. The total area encompassed is approximately 1,460,937 ha or 14,874 km2 (Sandlund et al., 2001).
The total length is approximately 265 km, with a maximum width of 97 km. The bedrock is primarily sedimentary calcareous rock, with fossil coral reefs found at high altitudes (up to 2000 m) (Monk et al., 1997). Soils are generally thin, with poor water holding capacity (Carson, 1989). The topography is quite dramatic, with mountain peaks reaching as high as 2964 m. Steep slopes (incline over 40%) characterize as much as 44% of the total area (Monk et al, 1997). Lakes are relatively few and small, apart from the Iralalaru lake basin. Few of the approximately one hundred rivers flow regularly throughout the year. The largest river system (80 km in length) is the Lois River, on the north side of the mountains.  Climate varies greatly across East Timor. The South coast is “permanently moist” with more than 2000 mm of rain for 9 to 12 months per year. The northern part is “permanently dry” with rainfall of 500 to 1000 mm or more occurring in only four months or less. Hard torrential rain is common, with maximum daily rainfall recorded as high as 398 mm. This causes a high degree of surface runoff and increased soil erosion. The mean annual temperature at sea level is 27.5 o C and 19.8 o C at 1432 m above sea level (Keefer, 2000).

Natural Ecosystems
East Timor contains six major ecosystem types (adapted from Sandlund et al., 2001). These are the:
1. Marine and coastal zone
2. Arid lowland areas
3. Moist lowland areas
4. Mountainous areas
5. Highland plains
6. Wetlands and lakes

Problems
There are at least 6 major problems identified by the DPANP which are defined as major problems for developing the Protected Areas and National Park network in Timor-Leste, which also contribute to loss of biodiversity:
1. No management system for protected areas (except NKSNP)
2. Lack of alternative livelihoods for communities within protected areas and the national park; which leads to extensive shifting cultivation, resulting in the fragmentation and loss of forests and woodlands as they are converted to fields and agricultural land, and the unsuitable cultivation of steep hillsides, which results in sedimentation in aquatic habitats. In addition, illegal logging for high-value trees such as sandalwood and red wood is a major contributor to the degradation of forests and woodlands.
3. Insufficient policies and laws on protected areas and national parks. There is only the UNTAET Regulation 2000/19 available which needs to be amended. The need for policies, laws and regulations, including enforcement of existing regulation, is urgent for the DPANP to work properly.   
4. Lack of data, including GIS information for all protected areas;
5. Lack of human capacity (skills and number of staff) and
6. Lack of funding to develop 30 protected areas << Read less

This project targets 8 protected areas for which it seeks to create and implement management plans, develop alternative livelihoods for associated communities and increase management staff capacity.

<< Read less

The protected areas designated under UNTAET Regulation No. 19 contain the majority of the remaining primary forest cover in East Timor. The majority of the areas designated are mountainous. These areas are likely to have high endemism.
Some fauna groups are also protected under UNTAET Regulation No. 19. These include all species listed in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Appendices I and II, including sea turtles, marine mammals, wallabies, and crocodiles. The majority of East Timor’s endangered species, and much of its biodiversity are found in its remaining forests. Pressures on forests are driven primarily by the need for firewood, clearing for agriculture and escaped fires during land clearing or hunting which also contribute to biodiversity loss.
Since 2002, the staff from the NDF have increased the number of protected areas in Timor-Leste from 15 in 2000 up to 30 in 2009 to cover all areas with higher biodiversity and threatened species. The DNF-DPANP is also working together with donors and partners in those areas, including the Government of Northern Territory, Darwin Initiative (UK Government), Bird Life International and UNCBD-PoWPA project.        
With limited funding support for protected areas and national parks, the progress for developing those areas has been relatively limited, since there is also a lack of human capacity, including the number of existing staff. The same situation is taking place in tropical forests within the protected areas which are in poor condition, and continue to be degraded and converted, putting several species, particularly birds and mammals, at risk.
Some illegal activities have also been identified as contributing to biodiversity loss such as illegal hunting, illegal logging for native trees species, habitat destruction, illegal fishing and poaching.

The 7 protected areas and 1 national park were selected by DAPPN for this Life Web Expression of Interest for the following reasons:
1.Those areas contain high levels of biodiversity and threatened species;
2.The boundaries for those areas are still unclear with other types of land use, which should be addressed without delay.
3.There is a lack of alternative livelihoods in those protected areas which drives deforestation, coral reef destruction and over-exploitation of wildlife.

This Expression of Interest addresses 4 major problems identified by the DPANP in order to:
a)Increase the management effectiveness and biodiversity protection in protected areas by setting up management plans for 7 protected areas with community based approach and consultation.
b)Reduce deforestation and habitat fragmentation by developing 4 pilot sites as alternative livelihood projects for each of 8 protected areas which will also contribute to generating additional income for the local community. << Read less

In terms of setting up management plans for the 8 protected areas; including finalizes demarcation, flora and fauna data collection and development of eco-tourism site, co-financing by government will be provided in-kind to a value of 5,000 USD and 129,433.00 in co-financing.  In terms of developing alternative livelihood for communities living around protected areas, co-financing will be provided by government for 120,000 USD and an in-kind contribution of 2,500 USD.

The National Directorate of Forestry, Department for Protected Areas and National Park will create community groups to involve the local community from each protected area to ensure that they actively participate in the development of the protected areas. Members of the groups will make decisions regarding the protected areas, including what activities they want to implement in their area.  The groups will be trained to increase their capacity and skills by government and NGOs, including for monitoring and evaluation of the project. << Read less

The National Development Plan (NDP) of Timor-Leste assigns the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries as the Government agency with prime responsibility for the development of agriculture, forestry, and fisheries sub-sectors.  The vision, as laid down in the NDP, is to achieve by 2020 sustainable, competitive and prosperous agricultural, forestry and fisheries industries that support improved living standards for the Nation’s people. MAF’s mission is to efficiently deliver to agricultural, forestry and fishing communities services that support improved productivity, income earning potential and export, thus supporting improved social welfare in the rural areas of the Nation and taking into account MAF’s human, capital and financial resources
Link to the MDG Timor-Leste.
Goal 3; Promote gender equality & empower women

Goal 7; Ensure environmental sustainability;
The proportion of land area covered by forest should be at least 35%, and land area protected to maintain biological diversity should be at a reasonable level. The GDP per unit of energy use should also be augmented. << Read less

Goal 1.1: To establish and strengthen national and regional systems of protected areas integrated into a global network as a contribution to globally agreed goals
Goal 1.2: To integrate protected areas into broader land- and seascapes and sectors so as to maintain ecological structure and function
Goal 1.4: To substantially improve site-based protected area planning and management
Goal 2.1: To promote equity and benefit-sharing
Goal 2.2: To enhance and secure involvement of indigenous and local communities and relevant stakeholders
Goal 3.1: To provide an enabling policy, institutional and socio-economic environment for protected areas
Goal 3.2: To build capacity for the planning, establishment and management of protected areas
Goal 3.4: To ensure financial sustainability of protected areas and national and regional systems of protected areas
Goal 3.5: To strengthen communication, education and public awareness
Goal 4.1 - To develop and adopt minimum standards and best practices for national and regional protected area systems
Goal 4.3: To assess and monitor protected area status and trends
<< Read less