In October 2021, Atauro Island was included in the Green Destinations Top 100 Good Practice Stories for its community-run tara bandu marine managed areas, in a story submitted by the island’s community tourism association, ATKOMA. The entry, in the Nature & Ecotourism category, was titled “Reviving cultural traditions and fostering ecotourism development through Tara Bandu Marine Protected Areas”.
What is the Green Destinations Top 100?
Green Destinations is a Netherlands-based non-profit that certifies and promotes sustainable tourism destinations. Each year destinations around the world submit “good practice stories”, and a selection of 100 is published as the Top 100 list. The 2021 collection was unveiled at the Global Green Destinations Days on 5 October 2021.
The Atauro story: tara bandu marine managed areas
Tara bandu is a Timorese customary practice in which a community agrees, through ritual and public rules, to ban certain uses of a natural resource for a set period. The Tetum term literally means “prohibition by hanging”. It was suppressed during the Indonesian occupation and has been revived since independence.
On Atauro it has been used to protect the reefs:
- In 2016, the village of Adara on the west coast became the first to create a no-take marine managed area under tara bandu, with support from WorldFish.
- With support from Conservation International, twelve more were set up around the island in 2017 and 2018.
- The 13 marine managed areas cover about 1,308 ha, of which 37% (488 ha) is no-take. Each has a no-take core and a buffer zone where limited traditional fishing is allowed, governed by village (suco) regulations.
- To offset lost fishing income, visitors who swim, snorkel or dive inside a marine managed area pay a small fee to the village council (US$2 at the time of the submission). According to the story, Beloi village earned more than US$10,000 from these fees in 2018.
The submission was made by Mario Gomes, ATKOMA’s president, who helped Adara set up its no-take area. Green Destinations’ story also notes a challenge: visitors concentrate around Beloi, where the ferry lands, so fee income is not shared evenly across the island.
About ATKOMA
ATKOMA (Asosiasaun Turizmu Koleku Mahanak Ataúro) is Atauro’s community-based tourism association, which brings together local guesthouses, guides and community groups. More on our ATKOMA page.
Visiting Atauro’s marine managed areas
Pay the village fee when you snorkel or dive in a marine managed area, follow your guide on where you can swim and anchor, and never take anything from no-take zones. Plan your trip with our Atauro Island guide, read more in our tara bandu guide, and compare beaches in best beaches in Timor-Leste.