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| East Timor designates first national park to protect threatened wildlife | |
| DILI, East Timor: East Timor
has designated its first national park as part of efforts to protect
threatened bird species and rich marine life, some of which can not be
found anywhere else in the world, wildlife officials said.
The 123,600-hectare (305,415 acres) Nino Konis Santana National Park is home to the critically endangered Yellow-crested Cockatoo Cacatua sulphurea, the endangered Green-pigeon Treron psittaceus, and nearly two dozen other bird species unique to the country and neighboring islands. It also spans 55,600 hectares (137,387 acres) of the 'Coral Triangle,' which boasts some of the richest biodiversity of coral and reef fish. "The national park will protect globally significant biodiversity and the culture and socioeconomic livelihoods of communities living there," Manuel Mendes, director of East Timor's Department of Protected Areas and National Parks, said in a statement seen Sunday. East Timor, which became Asia's newest nation five years ago after breaking free from decades of often-brutal Indonesian rule, remains desperately poor despite vast oil and gas reserves. It descended into chaos last year when clashes between security forces morphed into widespread gang warfare, looting and arson in the capital, leaving dozens dead and sending more than 150,000 others fleeing their homes. Mike Rands, chief executive of the international conservation group, BirdLife, praised the government's decision to designate the area a national park as "incredibly forward-thinking" and "all the more spectacular by the fact that this is such a young nation."
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COPYRIGHT © THE INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE ARTICLE REPRODUCED HERE FOR THE PURPOSE OF NATURE CONSERVATION AND EDUCATION |