Timor Research Articles

Diversity of insect galls associated with Eucalyptus alba & E. urophylla in altitudinal zones in Timor Island, Indonesia

Abstract. Puspasari LT, Buchori D, Ubaidillah R, Triwidodo H, Hidayat P. 2021. Diversity of insect galls associated with Eucalyptus alba & E. urophylla in altitudinal zones in Timor Island, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 22: 2667-2679. We investigated the galling insects associated with two species of Eucalyptus, namely E. alba Reinw. and E. urophylla S.T. Blake in different altitudinal zones in Timor Island, Indonesia. This is the first report for Indonesia of the diversity patterns and community structures of galling insects in these two species of eucalyptus and the type of galls they produce. Surveys and data collection were carried out between October 2017 and June 2018 at different altitudes of secondary forest in Timor Tengah Selatan district, Timor. We visited five altitudinal zones (± 829 m asl., ± 942 m asl. ± 1,621 m asl., ± 1992 m asl., and ± 2457 m asl.) and selected 25 eucalyptus plants of 3 to 5 m in height in each altitudinal zone from which to collect insect galls. The galls were observed on leaves, upper leaves (shoots), outer leaves, symptomatic twigs and stems. The galls were taken to the laboratory for rearing of the insects they contained. A total number of 12 gall types were found in E. alba and 15 in E. urophylla from which 28 insect morphospecies were identified belonging to 16 families and five orders. The order Hymenoptera was represented by ten families: Bethylidae, Torymidae, Eulophidae, Eupelmidae Eurytomidae, Pteromalidae, Encyrtidae, Mymaridae, Braconidae and Scelinonidae while the order Diptera was represented by three families: Fergusoninidae, Cecidomyiidae and Chaoboridae. Galling species diversity ranged from 1.71 to 2.38 on the Shannon-Wiener index and 0.75 to 0.87 on the Simpson index and showed that the galling-insect communities were species-rich and composed of galling formers and very few inquilines. In the study, communities are categorized and structured according to different types of galling insects, including those that induce galling, those that are parasitoid, and those that are inquiline. Within the category of gall-forming insects in the two species of eucalyptus, Eulophidae is found to be the dominant family. Our field data makes an important contribution to basic knowledge of insect galling patterns in eucalyptus forests and constitutes baseline data for the implementation of pest control.

Calcareous Nanofossil of Post-Gondwana Sequence in Southern Banda Arc, Indonesia

The presence of calcareous nannofossils in samples of the Post-Gondwana sequences (Kolbano and Viqueque sequence) gives guidance about the relative age of the study area located in the Outer Banda Arc, namely Timor, Rote, and Sawu Island. The study was carried out on six traverses, Timor Island traverse (Baun and Camplong), Rote Island traverse (Termanu and Central Rote), and Sawu Island traverses (West Sawu and East Sawu). There is 29 outcrop sample prepared using the smear slide method and observed using a polarizing microscope with 1000x magnification. The results of the study showed the presence of Cretaceous, Paleogene, and Neogen-Quarternary calcareous nannofossil. There are 82 species from 14 families identified in the post-Gondwana sequence. The results showed that the assemblage of calcareous nannofossil in Cretaceous characterized by the presence of Watznaueria fasciata, Watznaueria cynthae, Cyclagelosphaera brezae, Orastrum campanensis, and Micula concava. The assemblage of Paleogene calcareous nannofossil characterized by the presence of Coccolithus staurion, Chiasmolithus solitus, Discoaster minimus, Tawelus (?) magnicrassus, Chiasmolithus bidens, Prinsius africanus, Cyclicargolithus luminus, Spenolithus elongatus, Reticulofenestra umbilica, Cruciplacolithus vanheckae, and Helicospharea seminulum, and the assemblage of Neogene calcareous nannofossil characterized by the presence of Reticulofenestra pseudoumbilica, Discoaster quinqueramus, Helicosphaera princei, and Discoaster pansus. Quarternary calcareous nannofossil characterized by the presence of Ponthospaera indooceanica.

Island Charging Concept in Archipelago of Indonesia

Indonesia’s archipelago country has enormous diversity, and potential for renewable energy (solar and wind energy), one of which is located on Timor Island, East Nusa Tenggara Province, but the need to use energy is still minimal. This is due to the lack of welfare of the population, which results in low energy production. Here is a great opportunity for Timor Island to become a new force in developing renewable energy in an archipelago as island charging, which is even the largest in the world. Island charging is expected to increase economic growth for the region by creating new benefits for the islands around Timor Island, which have a wealth of natural resources by supplying the energy needs of the mining industry such as those on Wetar Island, Maluku Province. End of this concept’s is the Levelized Cost of Storage (LCOS) on the Mobile Energy Storage System (MESS), which is influenced by both land and sea modes of transportation.

Application of Moving Average (MA) and Upward Continuation Methods to Bouguer Gravity Anomaly Data for Fault Analysis of the Earthquake Risk Area of Timor and Flores Islands

An interpretation of the subsurface structure of the island of Timor and Flores has been carried out based on an analysis of gravity data. The island of Timor and Flores, which is passed by the Ring of Fire, is one of the areas that have a high seismic level. This is due to subduction zones and fault activity. Therefore, this study aims to qualitatively and semi-quantitatively analyze the existence of faults and their types by utilizing secondary data from free-air gravity anomalies. This data is processed into Complete Bouguer Anomaly (CBA) data by determining the average density of the surface using the Nettleton method. The separation of regional and residual anomalies using the upward continuation method to a height of 700 meters and the moving average method. The results of this residual anomaly are then used as input for fault analysis using the correlation profile of the First Horizontal Derivative (FHD) and Second Vertical Derivative (SVD) methods using the Elkins filter. For modelling using the Forward Modelling method on Grav2DC. Based on calculations using the Nettleton method, the average density of the surface is 1.23 gr/cm3. A fault is indicated when the FHD curve is at its minimum or maximum peak and the SVD curve is at the zero lines or close to zero. In this study, 12 slices were suspected to be the position of the fault. The average FHD value at the maximum peak is 0.989 mGal/m, while the minimum peak is 0.00038 mGal/m. The type of fault of each slice is determined from the maximum and minimum SVD value. From the research results, normal faults are in the Ruteng area (from the northwest in Nggalak to the east on Mount Wuas), Ende (from the Wulangmang mountains to the northwest to the southeast), and Kupang, while the ascending fault is in the Ruteng area (from the west sea on Mount Wuas straight to the southeast towards Ruteng), Ende (from Bajawa to the east towards Nangapanda), and Atambua. The results of this interpretation are also strengthened by overlaying the suspected fault with the geological map of the study are a and showing the suitability of the fault position even though the fault location is not the same.

Swidden Agriculture, food security and environment in semiarid area of Timor – Indonesia

Despite policies inplemented to minimise Swidden Agriculture (SA) practices, it remains in semi-arid areas of Timor Island. A study of SA was conducted in Manikin Watershed (MW) of West Timor during 2017 to 2019 in oder to understand the nature of SA using Agro-ecosystems approach and to analyse the strengths of SA for sustainable upland farming management. The research applied survey method in data collection. Qualitative data analysed using thematic analysis descriptively and mapping spacial analysis using open access of SAGAGIS. The results showed that Agro-ecosystem characteristics of SA at MW have characterised by Low Productivity, Low Stability, High Equitability, High Adaptability, and High Autonomous. High adaptability and some important components which are suits with resource poor farmers becomes the main reasons why upland farmers keep practicing SA. The strengths of SA lies on the farmers’ perception that SA as an adaptive and suitable system of semi-arid upland farmers’ circumstances: saving labour, only need simple equipments, easy to applied, no external inputs used, fertilize the soil/crops, and harvest guarantee for at least one food crop. The SA have strengths to be improved and developed as a productive and sustainable farming model that suitable for semi-arid upland communities.

Profile of Farmers Based Feed Management and Animal Health of Bali Cattle in Agroecosystem Variation at Timor Island

The research objective was to determine the profile of smallholder farms based on the aspects of feed management and animal health in different agro-ecosystems on Timor Island. The research was carried out for 6 months, from June to December 2018. The research location was determined by purposive sampling, namely (1) pasture agroecosystem in District of Belu, Malaka, and Timor Tengah Utara, (2) agricultural agroecosystem in Kupang Regency and Kupang City, (3) plantation agroecosystems in Kupang Regency, and (4) forest agroecosystems in District of Timor Tengah Selatan. The purposive stratified proportional sampling method was used to determine the number of samples according to the Slovin formula at an error probability of 0.05 (5%) so that the sampling of respondents was 436 people. Types of data used are primary and secondary data with data methods by observation, interviews (questionnaires), and documentation. Descriptive quantitative data analysis described in a narrative manner. The results showed that for the aspect of feed management, feed preservation was only done by some farmers, with the highest to lowest percentage of actors being plantation agroecosystems (12.8%), agriculture, (5.9%), pasture (1.6%) and forest (0%). Whereas in the aspect of livestock health, the highest to lowest vaccination implementers were carried out in agricultural agroecosystems (98.0%) followed by plantations (92.2%), pasture (66.9%) and forests (44.8%).

Sebaran Sampah Pantai di Pulau Timor, Nusa Tenggara Timur: Kajian pada Pantai Rekreasi

Beach debris is an increasingly important issue to study considering its negative impact on the terrestrial and marine environment. This research aims to examine the distribution of beach debris in Timor Island as a basis for managing and overcoming waste pollution. The research was conducted in August 2020 on six government-managed tourism beaches consisting of one city (Kupang) and five regencies (Malaka, Timor Tengah Selatan, Kupang, Timor Tengah Utara, and Belu). At each location, a transect of 100 meters was made parallel to the shoreline with a transect width of 10 m perpendicular to the shoreline measured from the back of the beach. All trash in the transect was taken, then cleaned from the sand, then put in plastic bags that have been labeled. The wet litter was sun-dried before being counted. All waste was then sorted, then counted in the amount of item, weight, and length. The results showed that the entire beach had been exposed to unmanaged waste. Plastic waste dominates the entire site with a composition of numbers of items between 63 - 95% (average 80 ± 12%) and length between 60 - 93% (average 75 ± 13%). The composition of the weight of plastic waste is between 20 - 72% (average 45 ± 21%), where the weight of plastic waste does not dominate at Motadikin Beach. The dynamics of ocean currents in the eastern monsoon are thought to have played a role in causing lower debris quantification at the Motadikin Beach (Malaka Regency) and Oetune Beach (Timor Tengah Selatan Regency) than to the other four beaches located in the north of Timor Island. The source of beach debris comes from recreational activities, fishing and anchoring activities, and anthropogenic waste carried away from the sea.

Characteristics of vegetation as determinant of Timor Friarbird (Philemon inornatus) distribution in Bipolo Lanscape of West Timor Island, Indonesia

Abstract. Paga B, Pudyatmoko S, Faida LRW, Yuda IP, Sulaksono N. 2021. Characteristics of vegetation as determinant of Timor Friarbird (Philemon inornatus) distribution in Bipolo Landscape of West Timor Island, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 22: 2617-2635. This study aims to identify vegetation factors as determinants of the distribution of Timor Friarbird (Philemon inornatus) in Timor Island. Timor Friarbird is one of the seven endemics bird species widely distributed in Timor Island, from the eastern region of Timor Leste to western region of Indonesia. This research was conducted at Bipolo Landscape, located in Timor Island, and has diversity of tropical flora diversity surrounding its Natural Tourism Park, which provides Timor Friarbird habitat. The characteristics of vegetation ecology were obtained by sampling design through Biogeography Branch's Sampling Design Tool for ArcGIS, while land use cover type was obtained by maximum likelihood method. The structure and composition of vegetation were observed through nested plot sampling, while Timor Friarbird species were assessed using the combination of point count and line transect method. The result obtained was formulated by discriminant linear regression. The vegetation parameters influencing the presence of Timor Friarbird were tree land use cover, number of trees and their species, pole land use cover, number of poles and their species, sapling land use cover, number of saplings and their species. Timor Friarbird is more likely to be present in the land cover area of poles with a minimum number of individual trees, poles, and saplings (press value Q = 6,63 ? 7). The results of discriminant analysis obtained a new group (nine variables), used collectively as a determinant factor for the presence of Timor Friarbird in their natural habitat on Timor Island

Characteristic of Soil Moisture in Indonesia Using ESA CCI Satellites Products

Soil moisture (SM) is one of the energy and water exchange main drivers between the atmosphere and land surface. The study aims to analyze the soil moisture characteristics in Indonesia on monthly and seasonal time scales. The analysis uses mapping of monthly and seasonal ESA CCI SM satellite products of mean daily from 1979 to 2016. The results showed the spatial and temporal variability of SM in Indonesia. Sumatera has SM values > 0.3 m3/m3 almost throughout the year. Besides, Java has SM values > 0.3 m3/m3 from January to April and October to December while 0.2-0.3 m3/m3 from May to September. In Borneo, the SM value > 0.3 m3/m3 from February to June and November to December, while from July to September are 0.2-0.3 m3/m3. Sulawesi has SM values > 0.3 m3/m3 from January to July, on December, and 0.2-0.3 m3/m3 from august to November. Bali to Nusa Tenggara have SM values between 0.2-0.3 m3/m3 throughout the year, except <0.2 m3/m3 in Sumba, Timor Island, and Central Lombok from June to November. Maluku has SM values between 0.2-0.3 m3/m3 throughout the year, while Papua has SM values >0.3 m3/m3 throughout the year, except in Jayawijaya Mountain and South Papua. The ESA CCI SM product is essential for monitoring SM in Indonesia.

The effect of adding rice husk ash and coconut fiber on the compressive strength of white bricks

White soil is a common material in Timor Island, especially in Kupang, usually molded into bricks without adding sand due to its high sand content which has been recorded to be between 30-65%. This study was, therefore, conducted to determine the effect of adding husk ash and coconut fiber on the compressive strength of white soil bricks mixture using an experimental method. The process involved drying the white soil bricks using winding for 28 days after molding after which the compressive strengths for the coconut fiber with cement and rice husk with cement were measured. The results showed a ratio of 1 coconut fiber to 1 cement produced 7 white soil with compressive strength at 147 kg/cm² while 1.5 rice husk ash to 1 cement produced 7 white soil with 114.3 kg/cm². These were, however, observed to be much higher than the findings of previous studies which used 1 cement to 7 white soil to produce 51.9 kg/cm². This, therefore, means the compressive strength produced in this study exceeds the value for quality 1 bricks based on SNI 03-0349-1989 for loaded and unprotected constructions.

Analysis of Chelodina mccordi from the Audubon Zoo, New Orleans

Chelodina mccordi is a small freshwater turtle native to the islands of Roti and Timor in Indonesia. They are considered critically endangered according to the IUCN Red List due primarily to habitat loss and overcollection. Current conservation efforts aim to breed and release them into existing native populations to improve genetic pool quality and heterozygosity, although captive populations are extremely limited. Our study aims to determine the level of relatedness between six C. mccordi individuals held at the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans. Genetic markers indicate which individuals are siblings; this information will allow the Zoo to efficiently manage turtle breeding pairs to yield desired genetic diversity. DNA was extracted from each sample (n=6) and the nuclear marker R35x1 (RNA fingerprint protein 35, exon 1) was amplified. PCR product was sequenced using Sanger sequencing and 1,060 base pairs were recovered after assembly, multiple sequence alignment, and trimming. Across the entire alignment, individuals differed at only 4 sites with no clear pattern of relatedness. Based on these results, there is not enough variation in the exon region that was sequenced to confidently confirm the sibling status. Future directions of this project will involve sequencing a more variable intron region or using a Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP) method, if necessary. This research was carried out with financial support from the West Liberty University Biology and Zoo Science department.

Habitat suitability model of Agarwood in a changing climate

Agarwood is a resin produced from several types of trees that are infected. The high demand for agarwood causes CITES in 2004 to include this in appendix II, meaning that the agarwood trading is determined by quota. The Global Climate Change Model (GCM) predicts that by the end of the 21st century, compared with the pre-1980s, global warming will lead to an increase in average temperatures of 3-4 °C, a decrease in rainfall 30-40%, significant changes in seasons and severe weather events. When there are changes in these climate variables, the habitat value for the area will also change. This study aims to develop a species distribution model of Aquilaria malaccensis based on naturalised distribution to project the potential distribution of A. malaccensis throughout Indonesia under current climate conditions and to assess the sensitivity of this distribution to climate change. The Biodiversity and Climate Change Virtual Laboratory application was used for this analysis. The distribution of A. malaccensis looks to be changing where in the year 2050 the decline in the number of locations estimated to be suitable for A. malaccensis habitat will experience a significant decline such as distribution on the islands of Kalimantan, Bali, Lombok, and Timor. The opposite pattern is found in the pattern of prediction of its distribution on Sumatra and Sumba. On both of these islands, the number of suitable habitat prediction locations for A. malaccensis will increase by 2050. This study has an important implication on the agarwood, where it emphasizing that conservation (both in-situ and ex-situ) of A. malaccensis agarwood is needed.

Identification of Groundwater Potential Using Wenner Configuration 2D Resistivity Method (Kupang, Nusa Tenggara Timur)

Kupang is the capital of the Indonesian province of Nusa Tenggara Timur, and has an estimated population in 2019 of 434,972. It is the biggest city and port on the island of Timor. The needs for groundwater is urgent in Kupang. The geology of Kupang is located on the Batu Gamping Koral Formation which composed by coral limestone, which is physically barren and dry. So that local residents often have some problems with water availability. Therefore, needed the information about potential and depth of groundwater aquifers in the area. Measurement of the Wenner configuration 2D resistivity method has been carried out to identify the subsurface to determine the potential for groundwater. Inversion were performed using the method of Least-Square Smoothness Constraint. The result of the interpretation shows that the subsurface resistivity value in the area ranges from 0.4-13.108 Ω m, and groundwater aquifer potential lies at trajectories KPG 01, 02, 03, 04, 14, 15. In the Batu Gamping Koral Formation there is groundwater potential in depth between 0-85 m with a resistivity value of 25.6-205 Ω m, and its constituent rocks are limestone sand and sand. In the Alluvium Formation, the groundwater potential in depth between 0-20 m with resistivity value of 25.6-410 Ω m, and its constituent rock is sand. Whereas in Bobonoro Formation, there is no groundwater potential.

Palaeoenvironments and palaeontology of the Atambua Basin, West Timor, Indonesia

Pleistocene vertebrate faunas have long been known from the island of Timor but have rarely been studied. In particular, dwarf elephant-like proboscideans such as Stegodon were once widespread across the island, including to the Atambua Basin, but the cause of their extinction is unknown. Here, we document the fossil Pleistocene fauna of this basin with their palaeoenvironmental context. We also investigate the possibility of human-Stegodon chronological overlap. Our methods include field survey, excavation, pollen analysis, and U-series dating. Palaeoenvironmental data based on geomorphology and hydrological information show a transition from marine to fluvial depositional conditions in the basin during Pleistocene. Pollen data supports this interpretation and shows a clear shift from mangrove to terrestrial vegetation types. Palaeoclimatic conditions after the transition are characterized by a high humidity with high-flow water across the basin. Fossils of vertebrate faunas are restricted to fluvially-derived sandstone units. Meanwhile lithic artefacts were recorded widely across the basin, in the from of surface finds. There is so far no example of direct association of lithic artefacts with extinct Pleistocene faunas. Direct dating of the vertebrate fossils suggest they came from the Middle Pleistocene or earlier, and consequently pre-date the oldest current records of modern human existence on the island ~45,000 years ago.

Local Participatory Flood Hazard Mapping’s Assessment and Coping: A Conceptual Model of Sustainability in Downstream Area of Belu Regency in the Western Timor Island, East Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia

This study applies interview, Focus Group Discussion (FGDs), Participatory Geographical Information Systems (pGIS), and a conceptual model of sustainability (CMS) using risk perception of local community to map flood hazard and assess the social and cultural copings to cope with river flooding in downstream areas i.e., Lasaen, Umatoos, and Fafoe villages of West Malaka Subdistrict of Belu Regency, Indonesia. The results of this study indicate that the rural-river flooding was inundated at all three villages. The cycle of flood is twenty-years per event (1939, 1959, 1975, 1999 through 2000), and from 2000 its occurrence was each year until 2012. Based on interviews and FGDs, the information of flood characteristics of Lasaen and Fafoe villages were similar, but Umatoos village was not. The single longevity of flood inundation was in Fafoe village (1 week-1 month). Whilst Lasaen and Umatoos villages were experiencing less duration of flood inundations (0-7 days to 14-21 days). Lasaen and Umatoos Villages were dealing with flood depth’s variation from the lowest depth (0-50cm) to its deepest (251-300cm). For CMS, the most invaluable coping that might be sustainable was cultural capital. Both social and cultural coping enhancements were implemented by local community. The minimum and lack of both these transformable sub-copings were still the problem in the discourse unit of sustainability. As each sub-coping would be overlapped if there has no sufficient distribution of it, utilized by the local community. The genuineness local knowledge of community in applying their social and cultural copings in sustainability is seen as a unique reference and a useful form of local wisdom which can be highlighted and adopted as an effective and/or example discourse analysis by the other rural villages in developing nations that are also still struggling and coping with flood disaster.

Inherited lithospheric structures control arc-continent collisional heterogeneity

Abstract From west to east along the Sunda-Banda arc, convergence of the Indo-Australian plate transitions from subduction of oceanic lithosphere to arc-continent collision. This region of eastern Indonesia and Timor-Leste provides an opportunity for unraveling the processes that occur during collision between a continent and a volcanic arc, and it can be viewed as the temporal transition of this process along strike. We collected a range of complementary geological and geophysical data to place constraints on the geometry and history of arc-continent collision. Utilizing ∼4 yr of new broadband seismic data, we imaged the structure of the crust through the uppermost mantle. Ambient noise tomography shows velocity anomalies along strike and across the arc that are attributed to the inherited structure of the incoming and colliding Australian plate. The pattern of anomalies at depth resembles the system of salients and embayments that is present offshore western Australia, which formed during rifting of east Gondwana. Previously identified changes in geochemistry of volcanics from Pb isotope anomalies from the inner arc islands correlate with newly identified velocity structures representing the underthrusted and subducted Indo-Australian plate. Reconstruction of uplift from river profiles from the outer arc islands suggests rapid uplift at the ends of the islands of Timor and western Sumba, which coincide with the edges of the volcanic-margin protrusions as inferred from the tomography. These findings suggest that the tectonic evolution of this region is defined by inherited structure of the Gondwana rifted continental margin of the incoming plate. Therefore, the initial template of plate structure controls orogenesis.

Regional Bouguer anomaly gravity data: 3-D modelling of subsurface structures of the Flores and Timor earthquake risk area

Regional anomaly gravity data are very useful for determining deep subsurface structures due correspond deep surface anomalies. This research aims at analyzing qualitatively to map the gravity anomaly of the island of Flores, modelling shallow surfaces, and interpret surface structures based on the gravity anomalies. In this research, the gravity method used was the secondary gravity data from the Bureau Gravimetric International (BGI) that would be applied using Upward Continuation techniques to interpret deep surfaces for 3D modelling of earthquake risk areas on the islands of Flores and Timor. The modelling was performed by an inversion technique applying the method of singular value decomposition (SVD) and Occam inversion. The result showed that the subsurface structure of the volcano area of the Flores island consists of sandstone, breccia, and andesite with density values of 2.42 g/cm3 - 2.62 g/cm3 and basaltic and lava with density values of 2.65 g/cm3 - 3.24 g/cm3. The most dominating rock in the study area was basaltic rocks with the average density of 2.73 g/cm3. Based on 3D models of regional Bouguer gravity anomalies, the Flores back arc fault was estimated at a depth of 30 km, the thickness of the earth’s crust in the Flores back arc fault zone was estimated to be up to 30 km while the thickness of the earth’s crust in the fore arc was estimated to be more than 60 km. The existence of magma chamber in the volcanic arc of Flores island was estimated at depth of 30 km in accordance with to the seismicity map Flores and Timor areas.

Development of Student Worksheets Using the Context of Local Wisdom on Integers and Fractions

The purpose of this research is to develop a valid, practical and effective junior high school mathematics worksheet. Local wisdom referred to in this study is a traditional food, namely Jagung Bose, Jagung Katemak, Ut Kono, and Laku Tobe, which have become a daily diet for the people of the Indonesia-Timor Leste border community on the Pulau Timor. This research is a kind of development research using the Tessmer formative evaluation model, which consists of two stages of development, namely the preliminary analysis stage and the formative evaluation stage. The subject of this research is the 9th-grade students of Taloeb Junior High School in the border area in 2020. The data collection techniques used include tests, learning outcomes, observation, and interviews. Experts have validated the development of student worksheets using the context of local traditional food wisdom with the results of assessments from material experts, media experts and linguists. Validated by Experts, Students Worksheets (SW) of maths included in the very good category and trial results have shown that the SW meets the practical criteria and has a potential effect on improving junior high school students' mathematics skills and learning outcomes.

Sustainability status of agroforestry systems in Timor Island, Indonesia

Agroforestry systems can be considered as sustainability concept. They are able to provide ecological, economical and sociological benefit. In order to help policy makers and stakeholder decide what action should be taken to make agroforestry sustainable, the identification of the sustainability status is needed. This study aimed to evaluate the sustainability status of agroforestry systems in Timor Island, one of the islands in Nusa Tenggara Timur Province, eastern Indonesia. The data was collected through combination of field observation and interviews with 38 respondents with purposively selected in three dominant agroforestry systems, namely: mixed-garden, mamar, traditional agroforestry and silvopasture. Multidimensional Scaling approach was used to analyse the sustainability status of agroforestry systems based on five dimensions (ecology, economy, social, institutional and technology) as well as 26 attributes. The attribute valuation was in ordinal scale based on sustainable criteria of each dimension. The criteria were ranked from 0 (the lowest) to 3 (the highest). The assessment of sustainability status was classified into: not sustainable (0-25%), less sustainable (25-50%), moderate sustainable (50-75%) and good sustainable (75-100%). The result revealed that the sustainability of all agroforestry systems were in moderate sustainable. This study found that, only 15 out of 26 attributes were categorized as sensitive attributes. Such data and information are important for the agroforestry farmer or other related stakeholder for improving appropriate strategies or action in sustainable agroforestry management.

Enchanted Things to Narrate the Oceans: João Paulo Borges Coelho and Luís Cardoso

This article stems from the research developed within the NILUS project and, in particular, it fits into the research strand that explored the role of material culture and materiality in contemporary narratives of the Lusophone Indian Ocean. The article focuses on the short story ‘O Pano Encantado’ [The Enchanted Cloth] (2005) by João Paulo Borges Coelho and on the novel Requiem para o Navegador Solitário [Requiem for the Solitary Sailor] (2007) by Luís Cardoso — two narratives set in insular spaces, the small Island of Mozambique and the island of Timor, respectively. It aims to validate the hypothesis according to which calling upon material culture and materiality offers a way of narrating and remembering (in) the Indian Ocean from different margins of its area of influence.