2025 UNDP Timor Leste and Fundação COTI Collaborate to Bring Community Reforestation in Ermera to a Greater Height (English)

Timor-Leste is highly vulnerable to climate change, particularly increasing variability of rainfall and extreme weather events. Lives and livelihoods in the remote interior of the country and coastal regions are both highly exposed. Impacts of intensified extreme events include damage and degradation of decentralized small-scale critical infrastructure, particularly water supply and drainage structures, embankments, and feeder roads and bridges. Damages leave rural populations isolated, lacking basic services.

According to SDP 2011-2030, about 75 percent of the Timorese population face challenges in sustaining their livelihoods due to low agricultural productivity, low-value livelihoods strategies, a lack of infrastructure, and climate impacts. This is compounded by unstable economic growth, limited human and institutional capacity, and pressure on natural resources due to a rapidly increasing population. Timor-Leste is highly vulnerable to climate change, facing increasing natural disasters including floods, droughts, landslides, and erosion which, combined with heavy reliance on rainfed agriculture, exacerbates existing vulnerabilities and undermines food security. Given the country’s mountainous landscape, arable land is limited, representing only 10.4% of total land area. Unsustainable agricultural practices such as cultivation on steep slopes, slash-and-burn practices, and uncontrolled livestock grazing lead to severe land degradation. While forest area covers 61% of Timor-Leste, 1,480 hectares of tree cover was lost in 2023. Gender inequality is also a challenge – Timorese women have limited access to finance and training, have far less decision-making power compared to men, and face significant barriers accessing and utilizing productive assets.

(Ref: Strategic Development Plan 2011 to 2030 and Global Forest Watch 2023, East Timor Tree Cover Loss, World Resources Institute)

In order the help lessen the impact of this climate variability, a Responsible Party (RP) Agreement was signed between UNDP and Fundação COTI on 27th August 2024 for the purpose of implementing a project titled Catchment Management and Rehabilitation Intervention through Reforestation/Afforestation in Ermera Municipality. This project represents one of several sub-components under the Safeguarding Rural communities and their physical assets from climate induced disasters in Timor-Leste” (referred as “UNDP-GCF-SRC”).

THE OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT ARE:

1. Provision of technical staff manpower to facilitate the reforestation and afforestation activities;

2. Organization and mobilization community beneficiaries of the reforestation and afforestation activities;

3. Conduct of detailed site assessment and development of reforestation and afforestation plans;

4. Production of seedlings/planting materials;

5. Establishment, maintenance and protection of the reforestation and afforestation areas.

After signing of the agreement, FCOTI immediately assembled a team of local experts to ensure the provision of quality deliverables and outputs as stipulated in the signed Responsible Party (RP) agreement. The ongoing project runs from September 2024 until February 2026 and aims to achieve the reforestation/afforestation of 30 hectares in marginal lands in Ermera along the catchment areas where small scale infrastructure projects by UNDP-GCF-SCR are being implemented. Much more importantly, in ensuring inclusivity of various planned activities under this sub-component, FCOTI involves local participants that include but not limited to women, children, people with disabilities, LGBTI and other identified marginal groups. These groups have been always invited to attend capacity development training and community consultation and when it is feasible they are also involved in actual field works such as tree planting, hole digging, weeding, thinning, pruning and maintenance of trees.

By June 2025, more than 32,000 trees have been planted in eight villages in Ermera Municipality covering an area of more than 36 hectares. Six community nurseries were established at the initial stage of the project involving close to 400 participants of whom more than 35% are women. The tree planting and nursery establishment and training activities conducted so far have directly benefitted more than 500 individuals and indirectly benefit 23,000 people from eight targeted villages in Ermera.

Various training on reforestation/afforestation related topics that include but not limited to trees, carbon in trees, planting management such as thinning, weeding, pruning, restocking, organic fertilizers and drip irrigation have increased the knowledge of local communities to maintain and care for trees; It has motivated the communities to revive their interests in reforestation and afforestation. In the initial stage of capacity building, there is a total of 283 community members participants of whom 191 are male (67%) and 91 are female (33%). Of the total number of participants, 8 participants identified themselves as people with disability and 31 participants are illiterate. In total, the training program under this project has impacted directly 379 people with an estimated indirect benefits reaching up to nearly 4,000 people.

The project has further promoted a sense of ownership and leadership in the community in that it engages with local leaders at village and municipal level. At Suco level the project has enabled the mobilization of local stakeholders and ensure collaboration and coordination. It forged partnership and further strengthen the social fabrics that bind community which further promotes peace and stability.

The community reforestation can serve as carbon sinks, soil restoration, moisture retention, prevention of landslides and rehabilitation of watershed areas. The reforested areas will gradually serve as site for biodiversity that house wild mammals, reptiles and birds. The casuarina trees can become canopy for coffee, the prominent perennial crops in Ermera.

The project strengthens ties between local authorities and their own community members but also among farmers themselves. The implementation of these activities pull community together in a shared goal that further strengthen their social cohesion.

Fundação COTI is a Timorese non-governmental organization (NGO) with experience in carbon farming and Reforestation/Afforestation for more than 14 years.

FUNDAÇÃO COTI was registered formally at the Ministry of Justice of Timor-Leste as an independent Timorese Non-Governmental Organization on 3rd October 2018 with the following registration number 54/DNRN-MJ/X/2018. FUNDAÇÃO COTI 's main objectives are to grow communities that contribute and benefit from a better world by combating climate change impacts through community reforestation activities, sustainable socio-economic development activities, and carbon credit sales. Fundação COTI’s targeted beneficiaries are rural communities in Timor-Leste and smallholder local communities in Timor-Leste, including villages along coastal areas. Target beneficiaries also include students in private and public schools across the country.

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