Identifying Marine Ecotourism Opportunities in Timor-Leste

June 2008. Australian wildlife officer Ray Chatto and marine scientists Dr Scott Whiting and Dr Kiki Dethmers are undertaking monthly aerial surveys of large marine fauna in the coastal waters of Timor-Leste throughout 2008, to identify potential marine ecotourism opportunities in the region.

"The aerial wildlife surveys are designed to look for the occurrence of whale sharks, large sharks, whales, dolphins, dugongs, crocodiles and turtles in the area," Mr Chatto said. "Each field trip takes place over two days - the first day we conduct aerial surveys from a small fixed wing aircraft and the second day we undertake boat-based surveys to get a closer look."

Scientist and Project Leader, Dr Mark Meekan said the project is primarily focussed on identifying sustainable, coastal and marine ecotourism opportunities for the developing country.

"Over the last 20 years ecotourism that enables people to interact with large marine fauna, from whale watching to snorkelling with large sharks, such as the giant whale sharks, has become increasingly popular, in fact, marine ecotourism has become one of the world's fastest growing marine industries," Dr Meekan said.

"Importantly, for developing countries, marine ecotourism provides significant flow-on effects to local communities and economies where few alternative sources of income exist. The really good news is that the ocean current systems that surround Timor-Leste are well known as a migration pathway for many species of large marine fauna.

"The monthly aerial surveys combined with satellite remote sensing data will help us determine where the marine fauna may occur on a regular basis, and whether development of a regional industry based on ecotourism is a possibility."