Case study
Strengthening National Forest Policy in Timor-Lest - TCP/TIM/3601
Forests cover two-thirds of the land area of Timor-Leste. The majority of the population lives in the forested uplands, and their livelihoods depend on agriculture and forest products. In the last decade, forest area has decreased as a result of unsustainable management, reducing the ability of forest to provide livelihoods to rural people and ecological services, such as water regulation, protection of soils and climate-change mitigation and adaptation. The first ever National Forest Policy (NFP) was formulated with technical assistance from FAO, and enacted in 2007. In order to promote sustainable forest management for the benefit of local people, the Government of Timor-Leste requested that FAO assist in reviewing the NFP, and in formulating the Forest Law as a legal instrument for NFP implementation