Six countries to launch Coral Triangle in Manado

Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post 7 Nov 08

Six countries plan to officially launch the Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) at a summit to be held in Manado, North Sulawesi, in May next year.

The initiative is aimed to retard degradation of coral colonies and safeguard vulnerable species from the impact of global warming.

CTI summit committee secretary Indroyono Soesilo said heads of state from countries bordering the triangle -- Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, the Solomon Islands and Timor Leste -- would attend the first-ever coral summit.

"Ministers from the six coral-rich countries are expected to first adopt the CTI action plan in Papua New Guinea in January, paving the way for coral initiative launch," Indroyono told reporters Thursday.

The CTI summit will take place on the sidelines of the World Ocean Conference in Manado from May 11 to 15.

Delegations from 121 countries plan to attend the larger conference to discuss efforts to protect marine environments and species from the severe impact of climate change.

"Since Indonesia has more offshore coral reef than any other country, it will play an important rule in the CTI. Indonesian is to be the second largest financial source for climate-change mitigation," he said.

Indonesia is currently pushing the world to adopt the reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD) scheme as an alternative to directly cutting emissions.

The 5.7-million-square-kilometer triangle is the global center of marine biodiversity with more than 600 coral species and 3,000 fish species, many of which are endemic.

The triangle is home to 76 percent of the world's coral species and 50 percent of the world's reef fish species.

In Indonesia, 33,150 square km of the total 51,000 square km of coral reef are in critical condition.

Indroyono said some donor countries, including the United States and Australia, and the Global Environment Facility, have pledged US$250 million to finance the implementation of the CTI action plan.

The CTI was first proposed at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in Australia in 2007 before being endorsed at the UN climate change conference in Bali last December.

The six countries have agreed to set up a mechanism to combat coral bleaching and establish a Coral Bleaching Alert Network.

Its implementation would be supported by satellite surveillance by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Experts have warned the world's coral reefs may become completely depleted by 2050 if no immediate action is taken to protect them.