Liquica

Date of Profile Completion:

November 2017

Profile

Geographic, Demographic Socioeconomic:


Land area (km²)	550.95 km²
Sea area (km²)
Coastline (km)	86 km
Major river systems (names)	The district has 25 river basins with 12 small catchments, 11 aggregate catchments, 1 medium-sized catchment and 1 very large catchment. The river basins located along the coastal areas are the small and aggregate catchments. Mota Loes is the very large catchment, which covers the districts of Bobanaro, Ermera and Aleiu, while the medium-sized catchment is Mota Comoro covering Ermera, Aleiu, Liquica and Dili. Most of the rivers dry up during the summer due to the temporal variation of rainfall and low capacity of the upland areas to hold water. In the country, there are only 8 rivers that continue to flow throughout the year. One of them is the Loes River, which is the longest river in the country.
Total number of coastal cities/ municipalities	Liquica consists of 3 subdistricts: Liquica, Bazartete and Maubara (all coastal)
Population (latest census)	73,027 (DNS, Census 2015)
Population growth rate (latest census)	2.83%
Male/Female ratio (latest census)	37,378 of total population are male and 35,649 are female; sex ratio is 1.05 (DNS, Census 2015)
Average annual household income (latest census)
Sectoral employment (percentage of total employment; latest census) Agriculture/fisheries Industry Services	The major economic activity in the district is agriculture, both for sustenance and commercial scale. Based on the census of population conducted in 2010 (NDS and UNFPA, 2011b), majority of the labor were involved in the primary sector, including agriculture, forestry and fisheries. There were 18,223 people in the labor force, of which 74.48% were engaged in the primary sector, 21.22% in tertiary (services and administration) and 4.3% in secondary (manufacturing and utilities).

Ecological/Environmental:


Key Marine Habitats (Mangrove, Coral, Seagrass, etc.) (Areal coverage/habitat)	Among the coastal resources and habitats that are found in the district are beaches, mangroves, coral reefs and seagrass beds. No comprehensive assessment on the status and coverage of coastal habitats in the district has been undertaken. In a rapid appraisal conducted in 2011, among the mangrove species found in the areas where transect survey was conducted were Rhizophora apiculata, Bruguiera gymnorrhiza and Avicennia marina.
Coastal and Marine Protected Areas (Number of MPAs and total areal coverage)	There are currently no MPAs in Liquica, although Ulmera and Vatuvou are being proposed as new MPAs. In terms of terrestrial protected areas, Mt. Fatumasin and the surrounding forests, with an area of 4,000 ha, is one of the 15 “protected wild areas of the country. ”Mt. Guguleur, which is found in the western part of Liquica, is also being evaluated to be included in the list of protected areas.
Coastal fisheries(species/levels)	Fisheries in the Liquica District is basically subsistence fishing. The average fisheries production of artisanal fishermen in the major landing area in Tibar, Bazartete Subdistrict is 72 t per year. During the conduct of a rapid appraisal in 2011, the stakeholders identified some of the fishery resources normally found along the coastal areas of Liquica (i.e.,Tibar and Ulmera), namely fish, shellfish, giant clams, mudcrabs and shrimps. The important fish commodities are tuna, mackerel, red snapper, grouper and skipjack. Smallscale aqua- culture is also undertaken, including milk fish culture, seaweed cultivation and crab farming.
Threatened or endangered species (protected species)	A survey was conducted in 2008 on the occurrence of megafauna near-shore and offshore the country to assess the potential for ecotourism (Dethmers, et al., 2009). Along the coasts and off-shore of Liquica, there were megafaunas sighted, namely turtles, dolphins and small marine mammals, large whales and whale sharks.

Threats and Hazards to sustainable development of marine and coastal areas and ecosystems:


Climate variation and change	• The communities in Liquica have been experiencing long dry season and shorter rainy season resulting in drought. During rainy season, flooding has been experienced in areas near the rivers.
Other natural threats and hazards	• Based on the Disaster Risk and Hazard Map Analysis for Timor-Leste: An Overview of Existing Risk Maps (RDTL, UNDP and EU), the district is at risk to 4 hazards, namely landslides (low risk overall but there are some areas that are likely to be affected), drought (high risk), fire (high risk) and flooding (high risk to flash floods in some areas during rainy season). • Compared with other disasters, flooding and landslides cause very adverse effects in affected areas near river systems including loss of property, food and sources of livelihood. Ulmera in Bazartete is one of the high-risk areas in the country for flooding. Landslides have also occurred in Fatumasi (Bazartete Sub- district) and Gugleur (Maubara Subdistrict). • The district has prepared an emergency response plan covering floods, landslides, oil spills and forest fires. • Coastal erosion has been observed along Liquica Beach and sedimentation in Ulmera and Tibar.
Other climate/man-made hazards	• High exposure (to climate hazards), particularly from drought, inundation, coastal erosion and flooding. • High sensitivity (to climate impacts), particularly on climate-sensitive livelihoods (especially on crops and livestock) and also, high impact on food and water security • Low adaptive capacity, due to limited physical, human, natural, financial and social assets. Moderate adaptive capacity, due to major physical assets, moderate financial assets and limited human, natural and social assets.
Man-made threats and hazards	• Domestic sewage: Direct disposal of untreated waste into the water bodies. In 2010, 63% of households did not have access to improved sanitation and 43% of this had no facility for proper waste disposal. • Domestic garbage/solid waste: Solid wastes are not disposed properly to an appropriate area, although in the district, a dumpsite is located in Tibar. • Oil spills in the seaport area • Deforestation and unsustainable land use • Forest fires • Overexploitation/destructive use of coastal habitats (mangroves, seagrass, coral reefs) • Destructive fishing practices • Uncontrolled development of the coastline and conflicting uses (e.g., development of port in Tibar near proposed MPA area in Ulmera). • Land reclamation: Total reclaimed area in Liquica District covers 25 ha with about 3.2 km of the coastline; 16 ha of coastal areas in Tibar and Vatuvou were converted into fishponds. • Overuse/multiple use of river waters • Saltwater intrusion in Tibar, Ulmera, Mota Ulun Lauahata, Maumeta, Vaviquinia and subdistricts of Bazartete and Maubara. • Harmful algal blooms in the lake in Maubara Subdistrict (not along the coast). • Increasing deposition of silt into rivers, which eventually end up in the sea; as a result, the rivers have become shallow and there is overflow during rainy season, which causes flooding in the nearby areas; the rivers are also mined for gravel and sand to support construction projects. • Lack of environment monitoring system to assess the level of contamination in water, soil and water.

Status of ICM Implementation

ICM Coverage and Governance Indicators:


	ONGOING DEV'T	IN PLACE	SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION/REMARKS
ICM Coordinating Mechanism		X	A multisectoral coordinating mechanism for the implementation of ICM in the district was established in 2009. The coordination mechanism involves the district and sub-district administrators, village leader, private sector, NGOs, relevant agencies both at the national and local levels, community groups, academe, youth groups and students. The legal basis for the establishment of the coordinating mechanism is not yet in place but the organizational structure had been updated. An ICM Task Team with representatives from key agencies was established.
ICM Project/Program Office		X	The Department of Agriculture and Fisheries at the district level serves as the coordinating office for the implementation of ICM activities in the district, with two staff assigned to handle associated administrative work.
Stakeholder Participation		X	Community education and awareness activities are regularly undertaken by government agencies and NGOs. The district-level coordination involves the Task Team composed of members from key departments or agencies. Coordination is done periodically to monitor and evaluate all activities that have been implemented in the field. Implementation of activities in the site involve participation of communities and coordination with academic institutions.
Coastal Strategy/Implementation Plan	X		Consultations for the preparation of a Coastal Strategy for Liquiça are ongoing
ICM Work Plan, Budget & Financing and Human Resources Committed	X		Budget and Financing: Implementation is supported by funds from relevant national agencies. The local government is able to allocate limited funds for coastal management.
M&E Mechanism (including SOC Reporting)	X		Draft SOC currently being reviewed

ICM Management Processes:


	NOT YET IN PLACE	ONGOING DEV'T	IN PLACE	SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION/REMARKS
Management Plan(s)* (e.g., CCA/DRR; habitat protection, restoration and management; water use/supply management; food security and livelihood management; pollution reduction and waste management; etc.) *at least 2 required for ICM Code Level 1 certification			X	Work planning is still centralized. The different national government agencies prepare annual plans covering the various aspects of sustainable development (e.g., natural and man-made hazards management, habitat protection, water use and supply management, food security, fisheries and livelihood management, and pollution reduction and waste management) according to their mandates.
Tools applied at the ICM site (e.g., zoning/MSP; MPAs, EAFM, IRBM, others)

Fisheries Management:


Pilot Site: Suco Vaviquinia	NOT YET IN PLACE	ONGOING DEV'T	IN PLACE	SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION/REMARKS
Scoping (including areal extent of threatened fishing grounds covered by ICM/EAFM management plans)			X	There are around 50 fishermen in Suco Vaviquinia, and they go out only as far as 2 kilometers from the shore, depending on the waves. Fishermen with access to the engine-powered boats go as far as 5 to 6 kilometers, sometimes 10 to 15 kilometers away. They spend an average of 2 to 3 hours at the sea, sometimes up to 5 hours, depending on the weather. The fishermen admits that despite the willingness to go fishing, the number and capacity of equipment prevents them from being full-time fishermen and thus also heavily depend on agriculture and livestock despite being a coastal community. There is currently no data on the areal extent of threatened fishing grounds. According to the local fishermen, they still harvest enough fish and see no threat to its population. (Site Visit, November 2017)
Baseline conditions for CPUE for important fish species (threats, risks, or vulnerability assessments of fishing ground; governance and socio-economic conditions)	X		X	Based on discussions with local fishers, dominant catch includes flying fish, anchovy, and sardines, with bigger sizes of fish in the rainy season (Site Visit, Nov. 2017). Annex 3 presents a list of species captured in Vaviquinia in 2015 (Baseline Assessment report, 2016). There is no systematic data collection on fish catch, which is also seasonal and relatively low. There is no information on CPUE. Another prominent concern of the suco members is the distance of the center or market for selling their products, including the fish catch. They rely on a middleman, who buys their catch for selling in a farther market. Since they do not have any capacity for prolonged food storage, there should be a proximate fish landing center/market. (Site Visit, November 2017).
EAFM or similar management plan	X			To be developed for the site as part of the SDS-SEA project
Evidence of measured increase in CPUE of 10% over baseline condition for important fish species using ICM/EAFM approach	X
Socio-economic and ecological impacts and benefits derived from ICM/EAFM implementation (DSS models e.g., FISH DA, TURF)	X
Socio-economic assessment of fishing households				In the community composed of 30 households with 20 individuals working as fishermen, only one fisher’s group has been established, with 5 members. This group has received support from the local government, which consists of fishing nets, 5 boats with different engines (3.5-5 horsepower), and other fishing gears. There is a need to organize more groups so that more fishermen can avail of the government support (i.e., the District Fisheries Office provides fisheries equipment to organized/registered groups only). As the fish catch is seasonal and limited, with bigger sizes of fish in the rainy season, households also source their livelihood from agriculture (crops, cassava, corn, vegetables, and peanuts), livestock (pig, chicken, and goat), fisheries, and small-scale entrepreneurship. (Site Visit, November 2017)
Livelihood development and implementation opportunities		X		Farmed commodities are used for personal consumption, processed as new food products (such as cassava chips, smoked fish, dried fish, local nipa wine, and textile from palm leaves), or sold in the local market. (Site Visit, November 2017) A good opportunity identified in Liquiça is business with ‘Ikan Saboko’ (fish baked in palm leaves). This business can be done together with palm wine making; however, the local government needs to improve their work areas to protect them from strong winds and the sun. This business was identified as a priority of the coastal communities in Vaviquinia. (Baseline Assessment of Timor-Leste, 2017)
Market assessment/sustainability analysis of alternative livelihoods	X
Pilot project proposal/action plan for livelihood development		X		To improve income generation, capacity building (training and equipment) on preparation and packaging of processed food products was suggested. An establishment of a women’s group is also a feasible mechanism to facilitate alternative livelihood activities. Similar with the fish landing center, a proximate market to sell these locally-produced goods is also requested by the community.
Evidence of improvements in socio-economic conditions in fisher households	X
Case studies and policy briefs for scaling up and replication	X

Preparedness and Capability to Respond to Natural and Man-made Hazards:


Pilot Site: Suco Vaviquinia	NOT YET IN PLACE	ONGOING DEV'T	IN PLACE	SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION/REMARKS
Profiles of highly vulnerable coastal communities			X	The coastal community is situated in a low-lying area, which is susceptible to floods during heavy rains. A nearby creek also contributes to the possibility of floods, as it can overflow to the adjacent communities as well. Flooding occurs at least once a year, at knee-high length. This affects the village’s crops, livestock, and water supply. There is a need to engineer a channel to prevent the flooding. Every 5 to 6 years, a rare phenomenon occurs along the community’s beach area, in which the high tide line reaches the coastal road. Past occurrences happened in 2002, 2007, and 2012, lasting for around 3 weeks. There are approximately 80-100 households in Suco Vaviquinia. Approximately 30 households are in the area affected by extreme high tide, with about 15 households along the beach area. When the high tide occurs, the families living along the coast relocate to their relatives’ homes across the road, and they all just secure their properties and livestock and wait till the flooding subsides in this area. They do not relocate. Their sources of livelihood (agriculture, livestock, fisheries) are affected, and they receive minimal support from the government. Mangroves and other related species were planted, as part of an SGP project, to mitigate impacts from future extreme high tide events.
Proposal/management action plan for CCA/DRRM-focused ICM pilot demonstration project for highly vulnerable coastal area/community		X		See Annex 2 for proposed action plan based on initial stakeholders’ consultations.
CCA/DRRM Plans, early warning systems and institutional mechanisms	X		X X	There is an emergency response plan at the municipal level, including floods, landslides, oil spills and forest fires. Local government has established a disaster management committee at the district level as an institutional mechanism to implement the emergency response plan that involves all relevant government agencies and NGOs. Membership of disaster management committees at district level consisting of: at district, sub district, department of agriculture, health services, education, social services and disaster management, the National Police of Timor-Leste (PNTL), Red Cross, environmental agencies, and civil security, fire department. The District Disaster Management Team is headed by the District Administrator. There is no specific emergency response plan and coordination mechanism at the pilot site. An action plan will be developed under the PEMSEA project to address this.
Trainings on vulnerability assessment, mapping etc.			X	ICM Task Team and community participation during the hazard mapping and vulnerability assessment conducted with technical support from the universities (UNTL and UNITAL - PEMSEA ICM Learning Centers)
Policy/financial commitment in support of action plan	X			The action plan for the pilot site will be presented on the 3rd quarter of 2018 to concerned government agencies and potential partners for funding through incorporation in their respective work plans and budgets
Impacts/benefits derived (socioeconomic, public awareness, reduced risk, improved resiliency)	X			Increasing awareness of local community on the need for disaster preparedness and systematic response
Case studies, good practices, climate smart policies and legislation	X
Investments in climate change adaptation measures (including hard and soft engineering solutions)	X
Percentage of households in highly vulnerable coastal areas relocated away from hazard zones (Project target: 5%)	X
Percentage of households in highly vulnerable coastal areas provided with evacuation routes and safe refuge locations (Project target: 100%)	X

Photos

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