Coral Triangle Day Celebration Shows that Collective Action Can Tackle Marine Plastic Pollution Crisis

9 June 2017, Manado, Indonesia – The urgency to address marine plastic pollution reverberates across the six Coral Triangle (CT6) member countries as part of the Coral Triangle Day Celebration 2017. Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Timor Leste, and Solomon Islands are taking a stand against single-use plastics to combat ocean plastic pollution. This strong call for action is crucial, as a staggering 8 million metric tons of plastic are dumped into the ocean each year, and this figure could double in just 10 years if our behavior doesn’t change.

In its sixth year, Coral Triangle (CT) Day is coordinated by the Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries, and Food Security (CTI-CFF), in partnership with the CT6 National Coordinating Committees (NCCs), Development Partners, and Collaborators. Themed “Curbing Marine Debris – Reduce Your Plastic Waste!”, the celebration brings together ocean lovers across the region to show that reducing plastic in daily life is possible while raising awareness about marine issues.

While the Coral Triangle is home to a thriving ecosystem with cultural and natural treasures—including 76% of all known coral species, more than 3,000 species of fish, and six out of seven of the world’s turtle species—three CT6 countries rank among the top plastic polluters in the world: Indonesia (No. 2 with 187.2 million tons), the Philippines (No. 3 with 83.4 million tons), and Malaysia (No. 8 with 22.9 million tons). This plastic crisis already impacts over 130 million people in the region (Jambeck et al., 2015), threatening protein sources, livelihoods, and ecosystem benefits in the world’s richest marine biodiversity hotspot.

Just as these countries contribute to global plastic waste, collective action can address this far-reaching problem. By spreading the key message of protecting this life-sustaining area, the CT Day Celebration rallies individuals, organizations, and institutions to reduce plastic use in daily life.

Activities organized include beach clean-ups, turtle tagging, movie screenings, and radio talk shows. An Instagram contest launched on 18 May and ending today encourages the public to creatively show how daily plastic use harms marine ecosystems using the hashtags #sayno2plastic and #coraltriangle, and share what they are doing to reduce their own plastic waste.

CT Day is an open-sourced event, inviting organizations and institutions worldwide, especially across the CT region, to celebrate with their own ocean-loving activities. These efforts align with World Oceans Day (8 June), delivering a simple message: protect the ocean that sustains us all.

For more information on the Coral Triangle Day 2017 Celebration, visit Twitter @cticff, Facebook cticff, Instagram @cticff, CTI-CFF official website: www.coraltriangleinitiative.org, and the dedicated Coral Triangle Day website and Instagram page: coraltriangleday.org, @coraltriangle.