DILI, 08 june 2022 (TATOLI) – President José Ramos Horta urged the Timor-Leste National University (UNTL) and private universities in the country to organize a joint beach clean-up activities to protect marine life and make Timor-Leste a cleaner, and greener place to live.
President Horta appealed to a national workshop, organized by UNTL, in Dili, to celebrate the World Oceans Day entitled: “Collective Action to Develop Blue Economy for Timor-Leste: Revitalization and Collective Action for the Ocean.”
He said human activities in the country affect marine life and marine habitats like coral reefs, and endemic fish every year: “You know, communities who live by the river bank in Dili and some companies keep throwing their rubbish into the river which will end up in the sea.”
“Here is my experience, we discovered a part of the blanket covered with sand on the beach. At first, we thought it was just a piece of cloth, but when we started pulling it out and we discovered it was a big blanket,” Horta recounted his beach clean-up story.
He said therefore beach clean-up activities are needed to be carried out during the low tides: “When the tide is low, we can clean the beach hundreds of meters or up to 1 kilometer into the sea.”
“In addition to the 40.000 students of UNTL, we also have another 65.000 students of the private universities. By mobilizing these 100.000 students in a clean-up program across the country, I think we can make a great impact to protect our marine life,” President Horta made the call at UNTL Campus, in Hera, Dili, on wednesday.
Horta stressed that a number of countries in Southeast Asia have lost their coral reefs, praising Timor-Leste’s coral reef condition which is still natural.
“Philippines and Indonesia have lost many of their coral reefs due to industrialization, hazardous chemicals, dynamite fishing, and pollution. We should prevent it from happening in Timor-Leste,” Horta recounted.
He said joining the Coral Triangle Initiative is a good move for the protection of the marine life in the country: “It was launched in 2007 as a multilateral partnership of the governments of Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, the Solomon Islands, and Timor-Leste.”
The Coral Triangle is an area encompassing almost 4 million square miles of ocean and coastal waters in Southeast Asia and the Pacific surrounding Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Timor Leste, and the Solomon Islands. It contains the most marine species on earth and supports the livelihoods of nearly 400 million people.
Horta called on the communities and companies to stop throwing rubbish into the river and drainages in the capital Dili as well as in the municipalities.
Horta concluded his remarks by recounting his experience of collecting can at 48 Center Street in New York: “I was collecting the canned around 48 Center Street every saturday and Sunday. It was not for a clean environment but to get some coins for personal use.”
Journalist: Filomeno Martins
Editor: Nelia Borges
