The President of the Institute of Geosciences of Timor-Leste, Job Brites, declared that the signed agreement represents a significant advance in strengthening institutional collaboration, especially in the development of the National Inventory of Geological Heritage. This inventory aims to create a database containing areas of geological relevance and heritage value.
The signing ceremony of the memorandum of understanding took place at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation in Dili. For Brites, this signature marks the beginning of a cooperation process aimed at intensifying scientific knowledge, boosting geological tourism, and valuing both the natural and geological heritage of Timor-Leste for present and future generations.
The memorandum establishes a concrete commitment to the protection, promotion, and valuation of national geological heritage. Within this agreement, the Institute of Geosciences of Timor-Leste will provide technical and scientific support to the Tourism Authority, assisting in the identification, evaluation, and mapping of locations with tourism potential.
Timor-Leste possesses notable geological attractions, such as ichthyosaur and pterosaur fossils, located in the municipality of Bobonaro. The Tourism Authority will be responsible for promoting these points of interest to visitors.
In turn, Virgílio Smith, president of the Tourism Authority, emphasized that the memorandum is a starting milestone in the plan to position Timor-Leste as a global reference tourist destination, also aligned with the context of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Smith added that, in addition to already known historical and prehistoric sites, important geological sites are being discovered that represent a tourist heritage capable of attracting scientists, researchers, and visitors to explore the country's wealth.