Timor-Leste has unveiled its updated National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) 2026–2030, setting out an ambitious roadmap to safeguard the country’s extraordinary natural heritage while strengthening food security, livelihoods, and climate resilience for future generations. 

As one of the youngest nations in the world and part of the globally significant Coral Triangle, Timor-Leste is home to rich forests, coral reefs, mangroves, seagrass beds, and freshwater ecosystems that support communities across the country. These ecosystems underpin agriculture, fisheries, tourism, water security, and cultural traditions, yet they face growing pressures from land-use change, unsustainable resource use, invasive species, pollution, and climate change. 

The new NBSAP responds directly to these challenges. Developed through an extensive consultation process involving government institutions, municipalities, local communities, civil society organizations, academia, the private sector, and development partners, the strategy reflects a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach to conservation. 

At the heart of the strategy is a clear national vision:

“By 2030, Timor-Leste’s biodiversity and ecosystems are conserved and sustainably used by all sectors, providing food security and contributing to poverty eradication and improved quality of life for all Timorese people.” 

The NBSAP is fully aligned with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, the Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Agreement, and Timor-Leste’s national climate and development priorities. It translates these commitments into 22 national targets covering ecosystem restoration, protected areas, species conservation, sustainable agriculture and fisheries, pollution reduction, climate adaptation, biodiversity finance, and community participation. 

Among its most significant commitments are restoring degraded ecosystems, expanding and strengthening protected and conserved areas, promoting sustainable livelihoods, and integrating biodiversity considerations across sectors such as agriculture, forestry, fisheries, tourism, and infrastructure planning. The strategy also calls for planting one million trees annually, restoring mangrove forests, improving marine conservation, and strengthening community-based resource management systems rooted in traditional practices such as “Tara Bandu”. 

A defining feature of the updated NBSAP is its strong emphasis on inclusion. The plan incorporates a dedicated gender-responsive approach, promotes women’s leadership in conservation, and ensures that local communities play a central role in biodiversity governance and benefit-sharing. Traditional knowledge is recognized as a valuable asset for conservation and sustainable resource management. 

The strategy also highlights the importance of innovative financing and partnerships. Through a combination of domestic investments, international support, private-sector engagement, and community-based financing mechanisms, Timor-Leste aims to mobilize the resources needed to reverse biodiversity loss and secure long-term sustainability. 

With support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and financing from the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the updated NBSAP positions biodiversity not only as an environmental priority but as a foundation for sustainable development, resilience, and prosperity. 

As Timor-Leste moves toward 2030, the NBSAP provides a shared roadmap for government, communities, development partners, and the private sector to work together in protecting nature while improving the well-being of all Timorese people. 

Finally, the Government of Timor-Leste, through the Ministry of Tourism and Environment, has officially endorsed the NBSAP (2026-2030) document, and it has been submitted to the UNCBD, reaffirming its commitment to biodiversity conservation and sustainable development.