DÍLI, July 29, 2020 (TATOLI) – The Secretary of State for the Environment (SEA), Demetrius do Amaral de Carvalho, asked the community to preserve the mangroves from damage which will inevitable assist the sea in staying clean to improve the health of coral, seaweed, and fishes.
“We have to preserve the marine biodiversity,” Demetrio do Amara said during the celebration of World Mangrove Day, on July 26 in Bebora, Dili.
According to Mr Carvalho mangroves serve as a natural wall to retain pollutions brought in by waves that are harmful to the health of the ocean.
“Its presence on the coastline reduces the strength of natural disasters such as Tsunamis,” he said.
Mr Carvalho also informed journalists about the establishment of the climate change resilience project that worth US$7, this is through cooperations between Timor-Leste’s Government and the European Union (EU) and will extend over four years.
“The project aims to strengthen the resilience and address the impact of climate change on coastal areas, and aims to prevent the degradation of mangroves”, he said.
He also added that the UNDP project also aims to recover about 300,000 hectares of Mangroves.
“The recovery has reached 1,700 hectares, and fences have placed around branches of the mangroves. We found that the placement of these fences needs to be improved to reinforce the security of the plantations,” he concluded.
Journalist: Nelia Fernandes
Editor: Maria Auxiliadora/Nick Kettle
Translation: Nelia Borges
