Dili, Aug. 25, 2026 (Lusa) - The Institute of Geosciences and the Timor-Leste Tourism Authority on Tuesday signed an agreement to draw up a Geological Heritage Inventory, with a view to promoting geological tourism and strengthening scientific knowledge.
«I consider this agreement an important step towards strengthening institutional cooperation, particularly in the work of compiling the National Geological Heritage Inventory, which will result in the creation of a database of areas of geological importance and with geological heritage value,» said the president of the Institute of Geosciences of Timor-Leste, Job Brites.
Brites was speaking at the signing ceremony for the memorandum of understanding, held at the ministry of foreign affairs and cooperation in Dili.
For Mr Brites, the signing represents the first step on a path of cooperation to strengthen scientific knowledge, promote geological tourism and enhance the geological and natural heritage of Timor-Leste for present and future generations.
He also emphasised that the memorandum is a commitment and a concrete step towards enhancing, protecting and promoting the country's geological heritage.
Under the memorandum, the Geosciences Institute of Timor-Leste will provide the Tourism Authority with technical and scientific support to identify, assess and map sites with a view to promoting them as tourist attractions.
Timor-Leste has, for example, fossils of ichthyosaurs and pterosaurs (reptiles that lived at the time of the dinosaurs) in the municipality of Bobonaro.
The Tourism Authority will be responsible for promoting these sites to tourists.
The chairman of the Tourism Authority, Virgílio Smith, emphasised that the memorandum represents a first step in the programme to promote Timor-Leste as a world-class tourist destination, including within the context of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
«We are familiar with the historical and prehistoric sites, and now important geological sites are also being discovered. These constitute a tourist heritage capable of attracting visitors, scientists and researchers to carry out their activities and gain a better understanding of Timor-Leste's wealth,» said Virgílio Smith.
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