On August 3, 2007, East Timor designated its first national park, just five years after attaining independence from its occupier of 25 years, Indonesia. Conservationists applauded the move for its efforts to protect some of the nation’s endangered species while promoting tourism to the troubled Asian island.

Nino Konis Santana National Park encompasses 305,415 acres of land and 137,387 acres of sea. On land, it is home to 25 bird species that exist only on Timor and neighboring islands, as well as several species-such as the Yellow-crested Cockatoo Cacatua sulphurea and the Timor Green-pigeon Treron psittaceus-which have become endangered due to habitat loss from logging and monsoons.

Underwater, this part of the “Coral Triangle” boasts some of the richest and most diverse marine life in the world. Animals such as pygmy seahorses and dugongs-rare herbivorous mammals similar to manatees-make the park a compelling draw for divers and environmentalists alike.

Manuel Mendes, the country’s Director of the Department of Protected Areas and National Parks, said the park “will help our nation to protect its national heritage, culture and history.”

The park is named after national hero Santana, who led the armed wing of the struggle for independence from Indonesia. Santana was born in the village of Tutuala, which is now within the borders of the park.

Dr. Mike Rands of BirdLife International called the move to designate the park “incredibly forward-thinking, made all the more spectacular by the fact that this is such a young nation.”

However, BirdLife also reports that the park is already threatened by a proposed hydroelectric project in the Mallahara and Sungai Vero valley, which would “split the park in two and cause substantial impact to important closed forest ecosystem.”

Other challenges include the lack of tourist infrastructure to handle visitors and questionable stability in the new nation. In 2006, widespread violence in the capital shattered the peace and put East Timor on many countries’ travel advisory lists. Though the situation has improved dramatically, tour operators have yet to see equal improvements in the tourism sector.