CTI-CFF Interim Regional Secretariat Chairman's New Year Message  | |
CTI-CFF Interim Regional Secretariat Chairman
Dr. Sudirman Saad
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As 2013 draws to a close, I sit here in my office and look at the view out of my window to take a minute to salute you, members and partners of Coral Triangle Initiative for Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security (CTI-CFF), who stay committed to the mission of CTI-CFF and for the trust you have placed in CTI-CFF Interim Regional Secretariat (IRS) to provide service and coordination for the implementation of our activities at regional level. Despite the challenges we encounter over the course of the year, we have recorded a considerable amount of positive results which convinced me that 2013 is another great and remarkable year for all of us in many ways. First quarter of the year was marked by near completion of new CTI-CFF Regional Secretariat Building and CTI Centre located in Manado covering 6,084 square meters. We were also able to develop a concrete roadmap and resolution to address the negative impacts of live reef fish trade in the CT region. MORE
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Coral Triangle Marine Protected Area System Highlighted at International Congress
On October 21-27, 2013, the 3rd International Marine Protected Areas Congress (IMPAC3) took place in Marseille, France. This is the third time in twelve years that Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) managers, scientists, policy-makers, and representatives of local communities - a total of 1,500 participants from 87 nations - got together to discuss issues, challenges, and opportunities related to MPA establishment and management in various contexts.
During the conference, the Coral Triangle and the Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries, and Food Security (CTI-CFF) experiences were shared during three workshops on MPAs benefits for fisheries, MPA sustainable financing, and regional approaches to MPAs.
On behalf of CTI-CFF partners, WWF presented the new Coral Triangle Marine Protected Area System framework and action plan developed by CTI-CFF. This triggered discussion about regional frameworks and highlighted issues which could impact at the national level on MPA managers and governments, particularly for small countries with limited capacity to engage in regional initiatives. MORE
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Collaborative Learning Needed to Replicate Successful Marine Conservation Programs | |
Hamilo Coast overview
Credit: Hamilo Coast Resort Website
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Closer collaboration among development partners is needed to ensure the sustainability, scalability, and replicability of coastal and marine conservation programs, according to representatives of multilateral financial institutions (MFIs) who visited the Philippines recently. "I think it's about lessons of success. Success breeds success, and so what we need are models that can be upscaled and replicated in the Philippines, in the region, and other areas of the world," said Nessim Ahmad, Environment and Social Safeguards Division Director of the Asian Development Bank (ADB). Ahmad joined representatives of other MFIs on a field visit to Nasugbu, Batangas on October 18-19, 2013 to observe three marine protected areas (MPAs) in Hamilo Coast established through a public-private partnership with the developer of Pico de Loro Beach Resort. The field visit-organized by ADB and WWF-Philippines-came on the heels of the fall meeting of the MFI Working Group on Environment held October 16-18, 2013 at the ADB headquarters in Manila. After the group's meeting, ADB and WWF-Philippines took the opportunity to bring the MFI representatives to one of the Coral Triangle Initiative sites in the Philippines to see for themselves the partnership among the private sector, nongovernment organizations, the local government, and local communities to protect coastal resources. The three MPAs they visited were the coves of Etayo, Santelmo, and Pico de Loro. MORE
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Sustaining the "Amazon of the Seas" - A five-year look at the CTI-CFF
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A young fisherman in Timor-Leste
Credit: M.Abbott/CTSP
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It happens every day all across the country. People swing by the local grocery store to pick up some tuna fillets or frozen scallops for a quick and tasty seafood dinner. Chances are that tuna and scallops came from a vast expanse of marine and coral ecosystem in the Asia-Pacific called the Coral Triangle.
This marine treasure, however, is at risk and the problems facing the Coral Triangle are also set to negatively impact the 363 million people living inside its boundaries, 130 million of whom are directly dependent on its resources for their livelihoods and food security. Many of them earn a little more than a few dollars a day.
The area is also a major supplier to global markets, sourcing more than 20 percent of the total global fisheries supply, as well as to the United States, which imports a whopping 91 percent of the seafood consumed by Americans every year. Several Coral Triangle countries, like Indonesia and the Philippines, export the majority of shrimp, scallops and clams available on the U.S. market. Indonesia alone contributed about a quarter-or about 13,000 tons-of the fresh and frozen tuna imported by the United States in 2010, a catch valued at $112 million. MORE
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Upcoming Events
CTI-CFF Coordination Mechanisms Working Group Meeting, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Feb. 18,2014
CTI-CFF Appointment Committee Meeting, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Feb. 19, 2014
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Animal Planet Features Three-Part Coral Triangle Documentary in its "Wild Deep" Series  | | Raja Ampat in Indonesia Credit: Animal Planet |
Animal Planet's "Wild Deep" series has begun featuring a three-part documentary that highlights the unique marine and coastal resources in the Coral Triangle. Simply called "The Coral Triangle," the landmark series aims to unlock the hidden secrets of the Ocean's Amazon - a six million kilometer square area spanning Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste and the Solomon Islands that is considered to be the global epicenter of marine biodiversity. The documentary airs in Southeast Asia every Tuesday at 9 p.m beginning January 15, 2014 and has replays every Wednesday at 4 p.m. and Sunday at 6 p.m. MORE
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NEW PUBLICATIONS
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