Governments of Malaysia, Philippines and Indonesia sign pact to protect Sulu-Sulawesi Seas

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Conservation of the Sulu-Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion received a boost today with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) by the governments of Malaysia, the Philippines, and Indonesia. 
  
Shared by the three countries, the Sulu-Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion, at close to a million km2, is an integral global centre of marine biodiversity. Its outstanding resources directly benefit the 35 million people living in the area, in terms of fisheries, tourism, and navigation. 

While the Sulu-Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion Programme was initiated by the WWF, the governments of Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines took up the leadership of the conservation planning for the ecoregion in line with their sincere determination to, individually as well as jointly, meet part of their national and international commitments to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the World Summit for Sustainable Development (WSSD). 
 
The initiative of the three governments and NGOs to conserve and promote the sustainable development of the Sulu-Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion was celebrated at a side event at the CBD conference (CBD CoP7) underway in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 
 
The highlight was the ministerial signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on the tri-national adoption of the Ecoregion Conservation Plan for the Sulu-Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion, which was developed through 12 workshops involving local, national, and regional stakeholders. 

The MOU also provides for the formation of a Tri-National Committee for the Sulu-Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion, which is being proposed to serve as a forum for sharing and discussions in the course of the implementation of the Ecoregion Conservation Plan. 
 
For more information:   
Dr. Jose Ingles
Ecoregion Coordinator, WWF Sulu-Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion Coordination Unit
(hosted by WWF-Philippines)
Tel: +63 2 4367311
Email: jingles@wwf.org.ph