Atauro Unites for the Ocean: Communities Celebrate World Ocean Day 2026 Through Action

Protecting the ocean starts with the people who live with it every day — the ones who know it best. This World Ocean Day, communities across Atauro Island came together to protect one of Timor-Leste’s most important marine areas.

From June 1 to 5, 2026, the Coral Triangle Center (CTC), in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Forestry (MALFF), the Atauro Administrative Authority, Roman Luan, the Atauro MPA Management Unit (UPM), village leaders, F-FDTL, Beni Marine, WorldFish, Blue Ventures, and ATKOMA, organized a series of activities across the 13,352.22-hectare Atauro Marine Protected Area (MPA). Around 1,750 community members, leaders, government agencies, and conservation partners took part in five days of conservation, learning, and collective action, demonstrating that marine conservation is strongest when communities are at its heart.

The celebration began on June 1 with the reactivation of Tara Bandu in the Vila-Maumeta Zone, a tradition deeply rooted in Timorese culture. In Tetum, Tara bandu means prohibition (bandu) by hanging (tara), a customary law that has long guided how communities relate to one another and to their environment, setting rules for harvesting resources and consequences for breaking them.

Around 700 people gathered for the ceremony: village chiefs from Atauro’s five villages, religious and customary leaders, government representatives, conservation partners, and community members from Beloi, Biqueli, Vila, Makadade, and Makili. Together they witnessed the signing of the Vila-Maumeta Zone Declaration, participated in traditional Tara Bandu rituals and prayers, and watched as a buoy was deployed at sea. The buoy was a simple but powerful symbol of renewed commitment to the ocean. The newly designated Tara Bandu area now covers a 50.43-hectare Principal Zone and a 17.74-hectare Reserve Zone.
Over the following days, awareness and outreach activities rolled out across five locations around the island, Pala, Akrema, Fatu’u, Atekru, and Lepian, through community socialization sessions, partner presentations, film screenings, and hands-on learning about Tara Bandu.

Local and national experts led the conversations: Marcelo Belo, Director of Roman Luan, covered plastic waste management; Egidio Antonio Boavida spoke on MPA management and Tara Bandu implementation; and Avelino Fernandes and Vicenti Soares presented blue economy concepts. Screenings on marine conservation and the 2025 Reef Health Monitoring (RHM) results rounded out the program. Timor-Leste’s Vice Prime Minister, Miguel Manetelu, closed the celebration, a sign of the country’s commitment to marine conservation at the highest level.

Marine debris remains one of the biggest threats to Atauro’s coastal habitats and marine life. During the five-day event, volunteers rolled up their sleeves for a large-scale beach clean-up spanning every zone of the MPA. Everyone, including youth and children, collected, sorted, and hauled away debris from beaches around the island, ferrying it by boat and by land to a central collection point in Beloi for proper disposal.

The commitment to protecting Atauro’s marine resources continued after the celebrations with a collaborative Resource Utilization Monitoring (RUM) patrol on June 8. Conducted by CTC, MALFF, the Atauro Administrative Authority, Roman Luan, the Atauro MPA Management Unit, and F-FDTL, the patrol monitored fishing activities throughout the MPA to support compliance with zoning regulations and sustainable resource management.

The monitoring team recorded no fishing violations, and fishers and tourism operators reported seeing direct benefits from the MPA, including healthier coral reefs and improved catches. Across all management zones, the patrol observed 100% compliance, as the local communities’ commitment to conserving Atauro’s marine environment continues to grow.
The ocean isn’t protected from a distance. It’s protected through the hands and voices of the people who live beside it. Journey World Ocean Day 2026 was more than a celebration. It was a renewed, shared commitment to keep Atauro’s beaches, reefs, and fisheries alive for generations to come.

Writers: Jaling Sim, Marthen Welly, Egidio Boavida
Photos: Egidio Boavida/CTC