Southwest Pacific Dialogue Endorses Coral Triangle Initiative's Crucial Role in Regional Marine Cooperation and Conservation
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SwPD Ministers from L-R - Foreign Minister Jose Luis Guterres of Timor-Leste, Foreign Minister Marty Natelagawa of Indonesia, Foreign Minister Murray McCully of New Zealand, Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario of the Philippines, Foreign Minister Bob Carr of Australia, and High Commissioner Veali Vagi of Papua New Guinea. Credit: DFA Philippines
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The six member countries of the Southwest Pacific Dialogue (SwPD) endorsed the critical role of Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security (CTI-CFF) in sustaining the region's significant marine resources and ensuring the economic and well-being of its people.
The group made the endorsement in a Joint Media Statement released on July 1, 2013 at the sidelines of the 46th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Brunei Darussalam. In the statement, the SwPD through its foreign ministers, noted the "region's potential for cooperation on marine ecotourism which would not only highlight the region's biodiversity and natural heritage but also help protect the common marine environment of SwPD countries by providing local communities an environmentally sustainable livelihood and enhancing their role in marine cooperation and conservation."
The group then expressed their "support for projects promoting marine ecotourism in the region, including those under the Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security (CTI-CFF)."
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More than 30,000 People Join Second Coral Triangle Day Celebrations
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CT Day Celebrations in Mataram, Lombok, Indonesia Credit. Ray D'Sky
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On June 9, 2013, more than 30,000 people joined 62 events in close to a hundred locations in Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon-Islands and Timor-Leste to mark Coral Triangle Day and to raise public awareness on marine resource conservation and fisheries issues. Coral Triangle Day, now celebrated for the second year, brings together individuals, organizations, and establishments on one special day to celebrate the uniqueness of the Coral Triangle region through a variety of activities including: beach clean-ups; artistic performances; educational exhibitions; turtle tagging activities; and many others. The CTI Interim Regional Secretariat together with the six CTI National Coordinating Committees partnered with local governments, and private businesses to organize various events. MORE
To see more photos of Coral Triangle Day 2013 activities, click here.
To read the CTI-CFF Executive Chairman's Message on CT Day, click here.
To read the full Coral Triangle Day Report, click here.
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Malaysia Highlights Marine and Coastal Resource Conservation Achievements under the Coral Triangle Initiative
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Underwater scenes at the proposed Tun Mustapha Park in Malaysia Credit: WWF
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On June 10-11, 2013, more than 100 representatives from government, community and non-government organizations attended a two-day conference organized by the Malaysian Government to highlight the progress made in conserving and sustaining the country's marine and coastal resources under the Coral Triangle Initiative's regional and national plans of action. Among the highlights include Malaysia's ratification of the agreement to establish a permanent CTI Regional Secretariat, the first of the six Coral Triangle countries to do so. The government also noted several milestones achieved through USAID's US CTI Support Program. These includes the deployment of two marine expeditions that strengthened the development of a national marine database, adoption of an ecosystem approach to fisheries management, integration of sustainable fisheries practices in the live reef fish trade, and institutionalization of a collaborative approach in the management of coastal and marine resources. MORE
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Coral Triangle Initiative Lauded for Sustaining Solomon Islands' Marine and Coastal Resources
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Solomon Islands Prime Minister Gordon Darcy Lilo (standing third from left) pose with the members of the Solomon Islands CTI National Coordinating Committee members and partner representatives during the CT Day celebrations. Credit: MECDM
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On June 11, 2013, Solomon Islands' representatives from government, non-government organizations, local communities including school children gathered at the National Gallery in Honiara to view an exhibition marking Coral Triangle Day and the fifth year anniversary of the Coral Triangle Initiative's (CTI) implementation in the country. During the event, government officials lauded CTI programs for developing local scientific expertise that has informed the country's development planning.
"CTI programs are a good base to bring in and develop scientific expertise and approaches to fine tuning development and adaptation strategies. Our hope is that, the data and information that CTI programs put together about our seas, islands, communities and people will contribute to baseline development planning and strategies for the survival and adaptation of our people and communities," Western Province Minister for the Environment Ralph Bulehite said during the event. MORE
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CTI-MEDS Software Enables Local Officials to Visualize Vulnerabilities of Fisheries to Climate Change Impacts
Thirty-six representatives from local government units (LGUs), universities, development partners, and NGOs in the Philippines and Timor-Leste tested a software designed to help them visualize vulnerabilities of fisheries to climate change impacts. The Coral Triangle Initiative Map-Enhanced Decision Support (CTI-MEDS) project organized the workshop from 29-30 April at ADB Headquarters in Manila. The computer-based software, which is called CTI-MEDS, is made up of two platforms - a scoring facility and a mapping and adaptation strategies facility. The software uses the framework of the Tool for Understanding Resilience of Fisheries or TURF. TURF assesses the vulnerability of fisheries to climate change impacts, particularly to wave exposure and storm surge. On the other hand, CTI-MEDS uses automated scoring for easy data analysis and maps for easy visualization of the results. The introduction of the CTI-MEDS software is timely since the fisheries sector is among the most severely affected by impacts of climate change. By using the software, local governments can help prepare communities by allowing users to build their own library of adaptation strategies. MORE
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