Canberra to help Asia in heritage list
The Age 10 Dec 07;
Australia has offered to help six Asia-Pacific countries win World Heritage listing for a massive coral reef brimming with marine life.
The Coral Triangle spans 5.7 million square kilometres from the northern tip of the Philippines to the Indian Ocean below Singapore and as far west as the Solomon Islands.
While it covers just two per cent of the world's ocean, it contains 76 per cent of all known coral species and 53 per cent of the world's coral reefs.
It is home to more than 3,000 species of fish, more than 600 species of coral, and supports more than 120 million people.
But the precious resource is threatened by global warming, overfishing, destructive fishing practices and pollution.
The six countries in whose waters it falls - Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Solomon Islands and East Timor - agreed on Monday to establish a new international partnership to protect the fragile reef system.
Australian Environment Minister Peter Garrett sat in on the meeting, on the sidelines of the United Nations climate change conference in Bali, and pledged Australian support for the conservation plan.
"We've offered support in the event that the six governments want to apply for World Heritage listing for a part or all of the reef," Mr Garrett told reporters after the meeting, which included Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
That help could include financial aid, but would more likely take the form of expert advice in putting any submission together.
Australia will also host a workshop next year in Townsville to provide additional scientific expertise to those involved in the Coral Triangle initiative, he said.
