Celebrating 25 Years of Action for Biodiversity

The country is located in the Coral Triangle which sustains about 120 million people and where 76 per cent of the world’s coral species and 6 of the world’s seven marine turtle species can be found [ ] 219 Studies on the versatility of the kidney bean in Timor-Leste Biodiversity and food security issues are crucial to the island. Through the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisher- ies, with the Government of Australia through the Australian Agency for International Development and the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, Timor-Leste implemented “The Seeds of Life” Programme in 2005, a bilateral assis- tance programme aimed to address food security issues in the country. In this regard, research on the kidney bean has been important for food security. The bean is one of the highest in protein content of grain legumes and is the most expensive of seeds sold locally. It is commonly grown during rainy season in the cold highlands at an elevation of 1,000m or above. Production might be affected by climate change such as an increase in air temperature. This suggests that if the bean is merely grown in the cold highland areas, its production will be reduced due the changes in air temperature. Several studies on the adaptation of the kidney bean to lowland coastal areas have been undertaken by the Department of Agronomy and Centre for Climate Change and Biodiversity, National University of Timor Loro- sa’e since 2012. The research objec- tives were to identify the potential of grain legumes (among others) to be grown after rice in the lowland coast- al areas; whether the kidney bean had the ability to adapt to water deficit conditions; and the appropriate time to sow seeds after rice harvesting. The three-year study has confirmed that the bean can be grown in the lowland coastal areas. It was observed that, during the dry season, the bean plant developed fast, accumulated high biomass, and reached flowering and maturity after about 30 and 72 days respectively after sowing. This growth habit is also important to cover ground and thus prevent water loss through evaporation, conserving more water for plants. This finding that production of kidney beans in lowland coastal areas would compensate for low grain production from highland areas if af- fected by climate change is significant. The results of the three years study led to conclude that kidney bean can be grown in lowland coastal areas during dry season. This could increase grain production of kidney bean through utilization of residual water after rice or with supplement of irrigation. Mangrove in Metinaro, northern Timor-Leste Timor-Leste T imor-Leste is a country positioned in a biodiversity hotspot, known as Wallacea, which harbours a number of globally significant ecosystems and endemic species. Its geographic position also places the country in a strategic area for marine biodiversity. It is located in the Coral Triangle which sustains about 120 million people and where 76 per cent of the world’s coral species and six of the world’s seven marine turtle species can be found. Timor-Leste has a coastline of approximately 700 km in length, and a potential Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of approximately 75,000 km 2 . Over 100 rivers from the highlands flow into the coastal zone, but discharges are short and fast flowing due to the steep topography. There are 24 key wetland sites that have been identified as environmentally significant and in need of conservation and resource management. Marcal Gusmao, Department of Agronomy, National University of East Timor