DILI, 26 may 2023 (TATOLI)– The Secretary of State for the Environment (SEA) together with the National University of Timor Leste (UNTL), Dili National University (UNDIL), and the University of Peace (UNPAZ), today signed a Memorandum of Understanding to work on Diversity Live in Timor-Leste.
Secretary of State for the Environment, Demetrio do Amaral de Carvalho said, this agreement was signed between the three universities, and aims to ensure the involvement of academics in environmental issues.
“We signed this agreement to engage teachers and students to identify various amounts of biodiversity in Timor-Leste,” Secretary of State for Environmental Protection, Demetrio Do Amaral told journalists, in Akait, this Friday.
Amaral added that this program was implemented in Timor-Leste in accordance with the UN environmental conventions to ensure that it becomes an important part of environmental protection issues.
He said, Timor-Leste also has a joint agreement on Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) focused on international Biodiversity, through the Nagoya protocol, it focuses on sharing the benefits of Access.
“We will work together to protect biodiversity in the sea and also on land to provide data for students,” he said
SEA hopes Tree University will work closely with the Department of Biodiversity and the Environment to continue to protect the genetic and biological wealth of the Timorese people at sea and on land.
UNTL Chancellor, João Martins said this was a great opportunity for academics from three universities to contribute to protecting Biodiversity in Timor-Leste.
“We are pleased to be able to take part in this program. We have some wild animals but we don’t know how many are extinct, therefore we will conduct a data collection of species in the sea-based and ground bases,” said UNTL Chancellor, João Martins.
UNTL will start this program in the two municipalities of Ataúru.
“We will identify the correct data for animal and natural species that can be useful for implementation in the future and we hope SEA can establish a laboratory to facilitate students to take advantage of biodiversity,” he concluded.
This program is funded by the Global Environmental Facility and the program is planned to be implemented for five years
Journalist: José Belarmino De Sá
Editor: Nelia B.
