Palaeoecological research in Timor-Leste aims to reveal deep-time dynamics of tropical climate and the human past

The independent nation of Timor-Leste is located at the southern margin of the Indonesian archipelago and is the largest and easternmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. The region is influenced by monsoonal rainfall, characterised by a distinct wet-dry season cycle, making it susceptible to periodic and significant natural hazards. These include floods, drought, cyclones and fire, all of which present significant challenges to the people of the country and their environment (Burns, 2019; Molyneux et al., 2012). Timor-Leste has a long human history, being situated along one of the proposed routes for early human migration from Maritime Southeast Asia into Australia. Archaeological and palaeoecological evidence from this region has the potential to reveal early human-landscape interactions as people began to occupy island environments during the late Pleistocene (Kealy et al., 2018).