Country Evidence/Timor-Leste/2011
Mapping Fisheries Dependence and Aquaculture Development in Timor-Leste
CTSP / WorldFish
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This 2011 report by the Coral Triangle Support Partnership (CTSP) and the WorldFish Center maps fisheries dependence and aquaculture development potential in Timor-Leste. The study was undertaken at a time when information on the country’s fisheries sector was extremely limited, and it provides a foundational scoping assessment. It documents the extent to which coastal communities depend on fishing for food and income, and examines the pressures they face, including chronic food insecurity, over-exploitation of nearshore resources and the compounding effects of climate change. The report then assesses the potential for aquaculture to provide an alternative and more climate-resilient livelihood, considering suitable species, locations, technical requirements and institutional support. It recommends developing aquaculture as a means of diversifying livelihoods, reducing pressure on wild stocks and improving nutrition. Classed as direct evidence under Vulnerability and Risk Assessment, it is regarded as the foundational Timor-Leste scoping study in the matrix. It is useful for understanding the origins of aquaculture development policy in the country, for tracking progress against later assessments from 2019 and 2025, and for researchers and development partners seeking baseline information on fisheries dependence and vulnerability in Timor-Leste’s coastal communities.
Additional Details
- Author(s)
- Coral Triangle Support Partnership (CTSP); WorldFish Center
- Type
- Report
- Aquaculture / Fisheries Dimension
- Coastal fisheries dependence and potential for aquaculture diversification
- Relevance to Climate Aquaculture
- Direct
- Thematic Area
- Vulnerability & Risk Assessment
- Climate Issue
- Climate change compounding chronic food insecurity and resource over-exploitation
- Adaptation / Key Contribution
- Scoping assessment recommending aquaculture as an alternative, climate-resilient livelihood for coastal communities
- How to Use / Notes
- Foundational Timor-Leste scoping study