East Timor Christians join the Conservation cause

	A traditional home in Oecussi. This house escaped the 1999 militia violence (courtesy Caritas Australia)

JULY 2003: The Catholic Church in Dili announced that it would start replanting native trees and plants on parish land – concentrating on species that will help the local community. If the two pilot projects are successful, this initiative should be adopted island-wide, with every parish acting as a mini-forestry unit.

Organisers hope that in the long term it will help support the food needs of the community, decrease deforestation (and resulting erosion), beautify the parishes, act as an example to the congregation, and work as a living, growing investment for the future.

The Catholic Church is working with Caritas Dili, the East Timor Government Forest Unit and the World Bank as well as ARC and several NGOs on this project.