Ombai-Wetar Strait Hope Spot
The small island nation of Timor-Leste has been internationally recognized for its exceptional marine life and its commitment to ocean conservation and marine ecotourism.
Mission Blue, international marine conservation non-profit, has recognized the northern waters of Timor-Leste in the newly designated Ombai-Wetar Strait Hope Spot. Hope Spots are special places critical to the health of the ocean that recognize, empower and support local communities and governments around the world in their efforts to protect the ocean.
Dr. Sylvia Earle, Founder of Mission Blue, says, “The Hope Spot offers ‘blue hope’ – recognizing the people of Timor-Leste’s extraordinary commitment to ocean conservation. [I’d like to highlight the Hope Spot] Champions’ goals of establishing the country as a sustainable dive tourism and whale-watching destination, developing community-based conservation and marine ecotourism livelihoods, and supporting improved ocean protection”.
Situated in the heart of the Coral Triangle region, Timor-Leste’s rich waters include the global epicenter of tropical marine biodiversity.
The Ombai-Wetar Strait Hope Spot encompasses the Timor-Leste waters of the Ombai and Wetar Passage, including the 3-km deep waters of the Ombai and Wetar Trough.
The ecosystems within the Hope Spot are globally-significant and include the world’s highest recorded coral reef biodiversity and the Ombai-Wetar Strait, a recognized Important Marine Mammal Area and major migration corridor for large whales, pelagic sharks, sea turtles and other marine megafauna in the western Indo-Pacific.
The Ecotourism Impact
The Hope Spot also emphasizes the critical importance of addressing poverty and employment in ocean conservation – and the vital role of ecotourism.
David McGuire, Director of Shark Stewards and Hope Spot partner, described the foundational change that he believes will be a key part of a healthy ocean and economic future for Timor-Leste. “The best mechanism is to support local jobs and livelihoods that move away from killing, to taking tourists out in the water to see Timor-Leste’s magnificent marine animals – alive and thriving – in their natural habitats."
To learn more about the Ombai-Wetar Strait Hope Spot, dive into the Ocean Story, International Recognition of Timor-Leste’s Oceans of ‘Blue Hope’ .
About Timor-Leste
Situated off the eastern end of the archipelago of Indonesia, the island nation of Timor-Leste (East Timor) is one of the world’s newest nations. Timor-Leste achieved independence on 20 May 2002, after nearly 500 years of Portugese colonization and a 24-year brutal military occupation by Indonesia – the latter which killed an estimated 180,000 people and left approximately 80% of the country’s infrastructure destroyed. Throughout this time, Dr. Jose Ramos-Horta played a crucial role in Timor-Leste’s independence, exiled and alone, leading the country’s international diplomatic efforts in the United Nations. Emerging from these ashes, this proud nation with the help of its international supporters, has made major progress in nation-building, peace-keeping and economic development. Despite this, the country faces major human development and economic challenges, and remains one of the world’s most poorest and malnourished nations. Including some of the highest rates of population growth, food insecurity, import dependency, and childhood malnutrition in South East Asia and the world. With one of the world’s most oil-dependent economies, economic diversification also remains a major national economic priority. In recent years, Timor-Leste has identified low-impact, ‘niche tourism’ (particularly nature-based, adventure tourism) as a vital pillar in its economic development - https://www.timorleste.tl/. Through its newly-established Marine Tourism Association and its proud Patron, Dr. Jose Ramos-Horta, Timor-Leste is committed to developing a world-class marine tourism industry, focused on ocean conservation, best-practice sustainable marine tourism and the well-being of the people of Timor-Leste.