The Dili to Ainaro Road Development Corridor (DARDC) comprises a joint investment by the Government of Timor-Leste and the World Bank to upgrade and strengthen the climate resilience of the road infrastructure linking Dili to the capitals of Aileu and Ainaro Districts. The problem that the proposed LDCF project seeks to address is that climate change is expected to increase damage to road infrastructure in the DARDC resulting from an increased intensity of climate-induced disasters. Damage to road infrastructure is expensive to repair and restricts: i) economic development; ii) market access; iii) access to services such as education and health care; iv) evacuation during natural disasters; and v) provision of disaster relief. Furthermore, this threat of damage to road infrastructure is exacerbated by ecosystem degradation resulting from existing land-use practices. Such ecosystem degradation increases the risk of floods and landslides owing to reduced water infiltration and increased soil erosion.