Milestones in Mapping and Assessment of Coastal and Marine Habitats in Timor-Leste

One year after its rollout, mapping experts from Charles Darwin University, together with colleagues from the Timor-Leste government, have made significant progress in mapping the marine and coastal habitats of Timor-Leste.

Funded by the Australian Government as part of its commitment to support CTI-CFF initiatives in Timor-Leste, this mapping project aims to produce a national dataset for use by the Timor-Leste government to inform future planning and management activities. The project focuses on charting previously unsurveyed regions of the northwest and south coasts, including Atauro Island and the exclave of Oecussi. It also seeks to enhance the skills of officers from the Timor-Leste Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MAF), particularly those in the Agriculture and Land Use Geographic Information System (ALGIS) division.

Since its launch a year ago, the project has achieved several milestones. After initial training on theoretical and practical aspects of remote sensing during a workshop conducted in Dili by Charles Darwin University in March 2012, ALGIS officers conducted fieldwork in Beacou (Bobonaro district), Suai (Kova Lima district), and Tibar (Liquicia district). Data collection was completed in June 2012 during a joint survey involving staff from Charles Darwin University, ALGIS, and MAF.

The survey team collected field data through reef and beach walks, snorkeling, and marine surveys from boats. This data was used to validate habitat maps generated with Landsat satellite imagery and remote sensing techniques. The focus on these three sites was due to their diverse habitats, including coral reefs, seagrass, and mangrove areas. During the surveys, ALGIS and MAF officers gained hands-on experience in field survey techniques and completed training in remote sensing, learning how to use digital images to analyze areas or phenomena without direct physical contact.

Timorese government officers and local community (Suco) members played a crucial role during the surveys. They assisted the survey team in accessing areas, setting up equipment, and sharing local knowledge of habitats and conditions—including identifying areas too dangerous to survey due to crocodiles.

The next stage of the project is to finalize the habitat maps and assess their accuracy using the collected field data, before submitting the completed products to the government of Timor-Leste in January 2013.

Source: Australia CTI Newsletter

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