The PPIP Key Forestry Expert, Mr. Jörg Albrecht completed an initial mission to Timor Leste from the 6th of June 2022 to the 13th of July 2022.
Mr. Albrecht held meetings with key Project stakeholders and introduced the pre-feasibility studies on the projects PFS1 (commercial tree planting and carbon farming) and PFS2 (watershed management and livelihood improvement) to national and municipal authorities. He met, among others, the Secretary of State for the Environment, Mr Demétrio do Amaral de Carvalho, the Director General of Forestry, Coffee and Industrial Plants (DGFCIP), Mr Raimundo Mau, the Director General of Agriculture, Ms Odete Do Ceu Guterres. The DG FCIP installed a Prefeasibility Study Focus Group to discuss issues on the two agreed-upon forestry fiches. The PFS Focus Group met twice during the mission and discussed procedures and observations.
Mr Jorge Albrecht met with representatives of MAF Forestry and the PPIP National Forestry Expert, Dr Domingos Cairesi Bendito Beremau Gomes, and visited the catchment areas of Irabere and Loes and the primary forest plantation areas in Covalima. He met with the Municipality Presidents and provided power point presentations on the objectives of the PPIP project.
The first mission results confirm favorable conditions for the future project: A supportive comprehensive legal and strategic framework is available, and in general, TL offers good growing conditions for trees. The heads of Municipalities ensured their interest and cooperation in the projects in general and forest restoration and carbon farming in particular. Preliminarily, various investment needs were identified during the PFS mission which are key for the forestry sector to achieve its objectives and targets:
- Forest Management and Information System (FMIS), forest inventories
- Enhanced participatory Land-use Planning (PLUP)
- Increased number field personnel (currently very limited for the management level) in general and of specialists in particular (Sustainable Forest Management, Forest inventories, Forest genetic resources, Carbon trading, Forest Products Processing, Forest research, …)
- Land tenure dispute resolution and boundary demarcation
- (Re-)forestation action plan (TL Draft Forestry Sector Development Plan 2019-30) (facing implementation challenges)
- Forest landscape restoration for stabilizing slopes, protecting watersheds (only few initiatives)
- Watershed Councils (not present in Itabere nor in Mota Loes)
- Applied research (species and provenance trials, increment/volume, treatments)
- Central nurseries
- Seed Sources
- Private sector strengthening: There is little added value on timber and non-timber products due to little readiness or possibilities to invest in modern equipment for processing (missing access to suitable credit systems)
- High transport costs for timber and non-timber forest products
The next mission is planned for October/November focusing on field assessments and surveys in identified priority sucos in Irabere and Loes watershed areas and Covalima.
