Translating to Tetum – Conservation Standards Training in Timor Leste

As we have talked about previously, the Covid-19 pandemic has meant that we’ve had to adapt the way that we deliver training and workshops, and support teams and communities across the world. Working with Conservation International (CI) in Timor-Leste has been an enlightening experience of how we can work together to share the Conservation Standards adaptive management framework in Covid times and in another language – Tetum. Neither of our facilitators Heather Moorcroft or Pip Walsh speak Tetum but with the CI in-country team both translating and helping out with the in-room facilitating, we were able to successfully run the first training block on the Conservation Standards from our homes in Australia.

Hanesan ita ko 'alia ona antes ida ne' e, ho pandemia Covid-19 ne 'e signifika katak ita iha ona hanoin atu adaptamaneira oinsá atu ita bele hala'o formasaun no workshop ida ne’e, nomos fó apoiu ba ekipa no komunidade sira ihamundu tomak. Servisu ho Konservasaun Internasionál (CI) iha Timor-Leste nudár esperiénsia diak ida kona-ba oinsa ita bele servisu hamutuk atu bele fahe esperiénsia kona-ba Padraun Konservasaun nian ba iha enkuadramentujestaun ne’ebé adaptivu liuliu iha situasaun Covid nian nomos uza lian seluk- Tetum. Ami nia fasilitadór Heather Moorcroft ka Pip Walsh la bele ko’alia lian Tetum maibé ho ekipa CI iha Timor ajuda halo tradusaun no fasilitadurante iha aula nia laran, ami konsege ho susesu atu hala’o treinamentu ba bloku dahuluk konaba Padraun Konservasaun husi Australia.

The purpose of this project is to support the Government of Timor-Leste to establish a functional protected area system. The project is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and is guided by a Project Working Group of senior government representatives, Timor-Leste's Program of Work on Protected Areas (PoWPA), the existing management plan for Nino Konis Santana National Park and the National Protected Area System Plan (Plano Nacional). Training in the Conservation Standards is necessary as the framework will underpin the management of two new protected areas: Mt Legumau and Mt Fatumasin.

Objetivu hosi projetu ida ne 'e mak atu apoiu Governu Timor-Leste hodi estabelese sistema funsionál ba iha area protejida. Projetu ida ne’e hetan fundus husi Global Environmental Facility (GEF) no lidera husi Grupu ServisuProjetu (Project Working Group) ida husi reprezentante senior sira husi Governu, Programa Servisu Area Protejida (Program of Work on Protected Areas (PoWPA)) ba Timor-Leste nian, planu jestaun ne’ebé eziste ba iha ParkeNasional Nino Konis Santana no Planu Nasional ba Sistema Area Protejida (Planu Nasional). Treinamentu baPadraun Konservasaun ne’e presiza tebes tanba enkuadramentu ida ne’e sei apoiu jestaun ba área protejida rua :Foho Legumau no foho . Fatumasin.

Using Zoom, a training website and a set of newly translated training materials, we completed the first block of training with the group in Timor-Leste. The first block of training focused on:

Uza Zoom, website ba treinamentu no material treinamentu foun ne’ebé tradús, ami kompleta ona treinamentu bloku dahuluk ho grupu iha Timor-Leste. Treinamentu ba bloku dahuluk foka ba:

establishing the planning teams for the two protected areas
Estabelese planu ba ekipa sira ba iha área protejida
creating a draft vision and scope for each area
Kria ezbosu ba vizaun no ámbitu ba kada area
determining some draft targets (important things) and their health
Determina ezbosu ba alvu balu no ninia kondisaun
identifying and prioritising a number of threats
Identifika no prioritiza númeru ba ameasa sira
and looking at the current situation and strategies to address the threats and improve the health of the targets.
No hare ba situasaun atuál no estratéjia hodi bele responde ba ameasa sira no oinsa atu hadi’a kondisaun baalvu

Participants presented their work each day and with the assistance of the CI team, Heather and Pip provided feedback and guidance during each session.

Partisipante sira aprezenta sira nia servisu kada loron no ho asisténsia husi ekipa CI, Heather no Pip fórekomendasaun no matadalan durante kada sesaun.

The training is to build the capacity of the participants so that they can then confidently consult with the local communities associated with the two areas and with other stakeholders and experts, to capture inputs for the two plans. The participants will undertake further practical training and mentoring to prepare the plans in 2022.

Treinamentu ida ne’e atu bele kapasita partisipante sira atu nune’e sira bele halo konsulta ho komunidade lokál sirane’ebé assosiadu ho área rua refere no ho parte interesada no peritu sira seluk, atu bele fó hanoin ba planu rua refere. Partisipante sira sei halo treinamentu pratikal no mentoring atu prepara ba planu sira ba iha 2022 nian.

This project has been an exciting, new experience and way of delivering training and support. We hope that those who participated in this training will pass on and apply their new knowledge in Timor-Leste and that we will see a new wave of Conservation Standards practitioners.

Projetu ida ne’e interesante tebes, esperiénsia foun no maneira atu bele fo treinamentu no apoiu. Ami espera katak sira ne’ebé partisipa iha treinamentu ida ne’e sei kontinua no aplika sira nia koñesimentu foun iha Timor-Leste no itabele hare grupu tékniku foun ida ba Padraun Konservasaun nian.

Participants in Timor-Leste creating a situation analysis to inform the draft plans.

Training participants with the CI team and Heather and Pip facilitating virtually from Australia.

Training participants in Timor-Leste.

Photos: Courtesy of Conservation International - Timor Leste