Posted on June, 08 2014

The Coral Triangle region gears up once again for the annual Coral Triangle Day on June 9 and this year’s theme focuses on the importance of protecting marine resources to help secure people’s food and livelihood.

“Too many people fail to see why healthy oceans and coasts are critical for human wellbeing. Too many are still unaware of how vulnerable marine habitats, species, and resources are and how threats to these ultimately mean threats to human survival,” said Jackie Thomas, WWF Coral Triangle Programme Leader.

“This year’s Coral Triangle Day theme will hopefully help raise more awareness on the direct link between people and coastal and marine environments and how protecting them will help secure people’s future,” added Thomas.

The Coral Triangle is a vast ocean expanse that geographically spreads across six countries in Southeast Asia and the Pacific: Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Timor Leste. It contains more than 3,000 species of commercially-valuable reef fish as well as much sought-after tuna species such as yellowfin, bigeye, and skipjack.

This center of marine life hosts 76 percent of the world’s coral species and shelters thousands of whales, dolphins, rays, sharks and six of the world’s seven species of marine turtles. It directly sustains the lives of more than 120 million people who heavily depend on marine resources for food and income.

However, coastal development, destructive fishing, overfishing, unsustainable tourism and climate change are taking a heavy toll and, if left unchecked, could cause the collapse of this world’s most remarkable coral reef ecosystem.

Now on its third year since launching in 2012, Coral Triangle Day this year will once again see individuals, establishments, and organizations from around the region conduct ocean-related activities to help raise awareness on the importance of protecting and conserving marine habitats for the benefit of people.

Numerous Coral Triangle Day celebrations are simultaneously taking place around the region including beach and underwater clean-ups, sustainable seafood exhibitions, ocean-themed bazaars, ocean film festivals, and beach parties among others.

The annual Coral Triangle Day is a regional interpretation of World Oceans Day — an opportunity to celebrate the importance of oceans in people’s lives and the need to take action to protect and conserve its finite resources.

“Simple everyday choices can make a difference such as choosing responsibly-caught seafood or those with sustainable certification labels, supporting tourism operators that practice environmentally-responsible practices, not littering and practicing waste segregation and recycling, joining beach and underwater clean-ups, planting mangroves, or not purchasing items made of endangered species,” said Thomas

“The ways in which people can help are innumerable. And they need not be done on Coral Triangle Day only, but all year round.”

Find out more about the Coral Triangle Day and how to participate at www.thecoraltriangle.com/day

Notes to the Editor:

• WWF is working with governments, local communities, businesses, and consumers to promote sustainable development in the Coral Triangle region. For information on the Coral Triangle and WWF’s work, go to: www.panda.org/coraltriangle
• Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Coral_Triangle
• Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/thecoraltriangle

For further information:
Paolo Mangahas, Senior Communications Manager, WWF Coral Triangle Programme,
Email: pmangahas@wwf.org.my