Arti Ekawati, Jakarta Globe 1 Nov 09;
The member countries of the Coral Triangle Initiative will hold their next summit in Manila, the Philippines, on January 18-21. The summit plans, however, have drawn protests from non-governmental organizations, which claim the CTI is too business-orientated, and not focused on protecting coral reefs and coastal dwellers from the impacts of global warming.
The six member CTI last came together at the Manado Summit in May to express their concern about the need to protect coral reefs from the impact of global warming. The CTI is also aimed at heightening the awareness of coastal residents about rising sea levels and the need to protect coral reefs to support local livelihoods.
The member nations of the CTI are Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and East Timor.
According to the Web site of the Worldwide Fund for Nature, the next summit will be jointly organized by the Philippine government and the WWF, and will focus on business opportunities for key sectors operating in the Coral Triangle region.
The summit is also planning to discuss how to provide financial support and investment for “green” and “sustainable” businesses, and is expected to be attended by business leaders as well as policy makers.
“By inviting sectors that rely on a healthy marine environment in the Coral Triangle, as well as the tourism, communications and investment sectors, this business summit will contribute to the pursuit of sustainable business development and investment,” Manuel Gerochi, the undersecretary at the Philippine Department of Environment and Natural Resources, was quoted as saying on the WWF Web site.
However, Riza Damanik, secretary general of the Fisheries Justice Coalition (Kiara), expressed his disappointment at the focus of the summit, saying it was just another way of continuing the commercialization of the oceans.
“The Coral Triangle Business Summit will only accommodate the interests of investment and commercialization in the CTI area, which is almost 80 percent located within Indonesian territory,” Riza said on Friday in Jakarta.
The commercialization process, he continued, threatened the interests of traditional fishermen and communities, and would do nothing to help them respond to climate change.
“Local people will no longer have independence in managing their own areas,” he said, despite the fact that they had proven themselves capable of doing so in a sustainable fashion.
Riza urged the government to review its commitment to the CTI and its intentions in commercializing the Coral Triangle region.
