COM, Timor-Leste — Ernesto Da Cruz loads his spear gun and lowers himself over the edge of his fishing skiff, bobbing at anchor on a shallow reef off the northeastern coast of East Timor. Storm clouds have begun to congeal over the sea, colouring the water deep navy on the horizon, fading through indigo into crystal blue where it breaks against the cliffs.
Da Cruz ducks below the waves and swims out, his progress marked by a plastic float attached to the line of his harpoon. Moments later, he resurfaces, dragging the cord back to the boat to land a whipray — leopard-spotted and nearly a metre across — which thrashes wildly in the hull.
From Turtle Hunter to Conservation Volunteer
A tall, lean man in his forties with a mullet hairdo and a red bandanna, Da Cruz honed his skills with a spear gun hunting the turtles that used to be abundant in these waters, close to his home village of Com. Species once common in the area included:
- Leatherbacks
- Loggerheads
- Hawksbills
- Olive ridleys
“I used to be able to fill the boat with turtles in a day. Any big ones I saw, I’d kill them,” he said. On a good day, he could make $200 by selling the meat and shells.
Turtle hunting was common during Indonesia’s 24-year occupation of East Timor, a small, young nation on the tip of the Malay Archipelago. The occupation left lasting ecological damage:
- Blast fishing using explosives destroyed coral reefs
- Sea grass beds supporting the region’s endangered dugongs were ravaged
- Coastal mangroves were cut back
That exploitation left poor areas like Com — isolated and heavily dependent on fishing for livelihoods — further impoverished as fish stocks collapsed. Locals such as Da Cruz were driven by short-term necessity to hunt turtles and take whatever fish they could without thought for the long-term impact. “This is how we had to provide for our families,” he said.
Marine Protected Areas and the Tara Bandu Tradition
Things began to change after East Timor’s independence in 2002. Since 2009, a concerted effort by local communities and Conservation International — a US-based environmental organisation — has seen the creation of Marine Protected Areas: no-take zones that allow reef fish to breed unhindered.
Much of the conservation work and day-to-day management of these marine areas has been devolved to coastal communities under a traditional system of governance known as Tara Bandu, which had been outlawed under Indonesian rule. Turtles and dugongs are now protected, and their numbers are rising steadily, as are fish stocks.
East Timor’s conservation programme has been a surprising success in a region that has often struggled to protect its ecosystems.
Turning Ecological Recovery Into Economic Recovery
Now, local communities and the government want to convert this ecological recovery into an economic one — finding new ways to support livelihoods in areas that still lack employment and basic infrastructure. For many people in Com, and in other coastal communities across the country, that dividend is expected to come through tourism.
“This place has unique value,” said Sergio Jose Cristovao, Com’s Xefe Suco (village chief). People in the village have worked hard to move away from unsustainable practices and to protect their environment; now they need new ways to prove the value of that work. “The natural resources we have are unique… we have to use them to attract tourists here.”
Robela Mendes, who runs the Sina Guesthouse — a four-room hostel with breathtaking sunset views over the sea, abutting a white sand beach where turtles come up to lay eggs at night — sees the opportunity in broader terms. Mendes, a local conservation volunteer, also owns a small shop selling local handicrafts and runs demonstrations of traditional dyeing and weaving techniques. “It’s not just about having them come to our guesthouse. They can see the local products that we have here; it can give incomes to the whole community.”
The Tourism Model Taking Shape
There are now half a dozen guesthouses along the beach in Com. Conservation International has brokered deals with dive operators, linking the communities that manage East Timor’s marine reserves with businesses that can commercialise the resources:
- Divers pay $25 or more per dive
- Visitor numbers are restricted to limit potential damage
- Revenue is directly tied to the value of pristine reefs and rare wildlife
The government is backing this strategy. Infrastructure is improving: the road from Dili to Com — mostly a spine-jarring dirt track — is being rebuilt by a consortium of Chinese companies. When complete, possibly by end of 2019, travel time from the airport to Com could fall from six to eight hours to around three.
The Risks of Rapid Tourism Growth
Tourism development is fraught with risks. Across Southeast Asia, over-exploitation of wildlife and landscapes has sometimes had devastating impacts:
| Location | Country | Action Taken |
|---|---|---|
| Komodo Island | Indonesia | Access restrictions under debate |
| Maya Bay, Ko Phi Phi Leh | Thailand | Indefinitely closed to tourists |
| Boracay | Philippines | Closed for six months for coastal recovery |
Trudiann Dale, Conservation International’s country director for Timor-Leste, said the biggest risk is that the government’s enthusiasm for tourism as an economic driver could outstrip communities’ capacity to manage the influx. The entire budget for the tourism ministry stands at $1.2 million, while the budget for protected areas is just $150,000.
“The protected areas will underpin the tourism here because it’s going to be more about nature-based and adventure tourism; it’s never going to be the commercial, Bali type tourism,” Dale said. “Having the tourism dollar come in is going to be of huge benefit to communities… but we don’t want to end up in a crash and burn situation.”
What Global Research Says About Community-Led Conservation
Whether Com and its neighbours succeed in finding a balance between preserving and profiting from their natural resources could have far-reaching implications. In May 2019, a landmark report from the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) — a United Nations-backed scientific body — declared that nature is in an “unprecedented” and “dangerous” decline worldwide, with a million species at risk of extinction.
One of the report’s key findings was that ecosystems managed by indigenous groups or community mechanisms — like East Timor’s Tara Bandu — are in general better preserved than those that are not. These communities more often than not take a “stewardship” approach that emphasises long-term value over short-term gain, said Michelle Lim, a lecturer in environmental law at Adelaide University and an expert on the intersection of conservation and sustainable livelihoods.
The report also cautioned against translating the value of species and ecosystems purely into financial terms, calling for a reassessment of global development paradigms.
Looking After Nature
In Com, Da Cruz gave up turtle hunting years ago and joined a community conservation group. Using his knowledge of where turtles and dugongs could still be found, he helped locate and study the very animals he once hunted. Now, he hopes to share that knowledge with visitors.
Standing on a clifftop overlooking one of Com’s marine protected areas, he demonstrated how his relationship with the animals has changed. He clapped his hands and whooped out across the sea — and after a few minutes, a large turtle surfaced in the water below. The animals have learned that people are no longer a threat, and sometimes come when called.
“Look after nature,” Da Cruz said, “and nature looks after you.”
Source: Nikkei Asia