Posted on May, 15 2009

Manado, Indonesia – A new, six-country Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheriesand Food Security (CTI) was launched today at a Leaders Summit in Manado, NorthSulawesi; a series of new commitments by the six governments to an unprecedentedcooperative effort to safeguard the world’s richest marine resources and ensure the income, livelihoods and food security for millions who depend on these resources.

In their Leaders' Declaration, the Presidents and Prime Ministers of Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Solomon Islands, and Timor Leste formally adopted one of the most comprehensive and specific plans for ocean conservation. The 10-year Regional CTI Plan of Action sets time-bound steps to address growing threats to the region’s coral reefs, fisheries,mangroves, threatened species and other marine and coastal living resources.

This Initiative recognizes the urgent need to address the poverty afflicting the people of theCoral Triangle countries, in particular the coastal communities, and to meet relevantinternationally agreed development goals, including the achievement of the MillenniumDevelopment Goals. All six leaders also recognize the urgency of a strong climate changefocus to this important Initiative.

Covering only 2% of the world’s ocean, the Coral Triangle contains 76% of all known coralspecies. It is also brimming with an extraordinary variety of fish due to this high coraldiversity. Over 120 million people directly depend on the bounty of these seas for their foodand income. The value of fisheries, tourism and shoreline protection from coral reefs,mangroves and associated habitats is estimated at US$2.3 billion annually. This area alsosupports the largest tuna fisheries in the world, which generate billions of dollars in globalincome every year. Healthy reef systems help buffer coastal communities from severestorms and tsunamis. Protection of reefs and mangroves in the Coral Triangle will be vital tohelp people adapt to increasing storm severity, an effect of climate change.

These precious marine resources are threatened by overfishing, illegal fishing,unsustainable coastal development, pollution and climate change. All these threats areleading to depleted fish stocks, large-scale loss of mangroves and degradation of coral reefsystems.

Conservation International (CI), The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and WWF, congratulate andwelcome the leaders’ declaration to address the threats to the marine, coastal and smallisland ecosystems within the region. The three NGOs are strongly committed to support thecountries in achieving their priority goals as stated in their Plans of Action.

Conservation International’s Chairman and CEO, Peter Seligmann, said “in 30 years ofconservation work, I have never seen anything like this; six leaders signing a commitment toprotect their marine resources for the well-being of their citizens and future generations. Weextend our deepest congratulations and commit to supporting these nations as they embarkon this unprecedented global initiative to secure human livelihoods and adapt to climatechange through the conservation of their individual and shared marine heritage.”

TNC’s Chairman of the Board of Directors, Roger Milliken Jr., said “we are inspired by thebold vision of the CTI and the significant commitments that the six leaders made today. Ourcontinued engagement, building on nearly two decades of conservation in this region, withgovernments, regional institutions and local communities we hope will contribute to thisextraordinary initiative for the benefit of nature and people living in this region and beyond. ”The Summit was followed by a “Partners Dialogue” with the six Coral Triangle governments,at which a large number of donor governments, international funding agencies, nongovernmentalorganizations, community-based organizations, private foundations, privatesector companies, and others expressed their intentions to support the implementationphase of this Initiative.

“WWF urges world leaders meeting at the UN Climate Conference in Copenhagen later thisyear to support Coral Triangle countries in their efforts to protect their most vulnerablecommunities from the impacts of climate change and the loss of food and livelihoods”, saidWWF Director General James P. Leape. “Reaching a strong agreement on greenhouse gasreductions is critical as is robust support for regional adaptation. The transformational CTIPlan of Action provides a framework for engaging the private sector in adaptation throughpublic private partnership", added Mr. Leape.

The three organizations look forward to continuing to support the countries of the CoralTriangle in an effective and collaborative manner.