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What is asbestos? Asbestos is a naturally occurring rock fibre that can be harmful to humans. Consequently, asbestos is now banned from most modern products, but remains a serious legacy issue in the Pacific from its past widespread use in the building materials.

The overall aim of this study was to look at how human activities are impacting on the coastal zone in Timor-Leste, what type of management challenges arise from these impacts, and what kind of management approach can help to address current and future problems in the coastal zone.

Integrated Coastal Management (ICM) is accepted world-wide as a comprehensive, multi sectoral integrated approach to the planning and management of coastal areas. ICM is particularly suited to the island member countries of the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPR£P) because of then size, the interconnectedness of the coast and terrestrial areas and the high degree of association and community involvement with the management of coastal systems. With the exception of the highly migratory pelagic fish stocks, the narrow natural resource base of many Pacific islands make them particularly vulnerable to inappropriate development and mismanagement. Unfortunately, the capacity to initiate integrated coastal management is lacking in most Pacific Island countries (PIC) and several obstacles and constraints need to be overcome before it can become an established practice.