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  • 16 Jul 2018

The Coral Triangle Initiative for Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security (CTI-CFF) Regional Secretariat and WWF are pleased to announce the winners of the 2018 Coral Triangle (CT) Day Photo Instagram Contest.

Winning first place is Simon Hilbourne (@s.hilbourne) from the United Kingdom for his photo showing him brushing his teeth using a bamboo-made toothbrush under the sea behind a manta ray in Maldives. He earns a 7-night accommodation at Kri Eco Resort and three daily diving experiences in Raja Ampat, Indonesia.

Second place honors go to Katy Danca Galli (@kidancagalli) from Florida, USA, for her photo of plastic litter in Bunaken Island, one of the top diving sites in Indonesia. Katy wins a 3-day diving experience at Mabul and Kapalai in Borneo, along with two-night accommodation courtesy of Scuba Junkie.

Rounding out the top three Instagram photos is Lauren Danielle Quiros (@lolo_atp) from California, USA, for her photo of plastic litter collected during a beach clean-up. She wins a Mares Avanti Tre ray mask, snorkel, and fins set.

All top three winners will also receive a Coral Triangle coffee table book.

WWF, in partnership with the CTI-CFF Regional Secretariat, launched the Instagram contest in May 2018 to encourage users to show how they are helping reduce single-use plastics by tagging their photos or videos with #plasticresistance and #coraltriangle. The contest attracted a total of 447 entries and ran until June 22. It was also supported by Raja Ampat’s Papua Diving Resort, Scuba Junkie Borneo, Conservation International, Mission Blue, Matador Network, Connect4Climate, and Bye Bye Plastic Bags.

The Coral Triangle Day is an annual celebration held every 9th of June to recognize the importance of ocean conservation and raise awareness about protecting and conserving the Coral Triangle, the global center of marine biodiversity. This year, the CT Day celebration focused on increasing awareness of the impacts of plastic on the marine environment and the destructive wastefulness of single-use plastics such as straws, coffee cup lids, cotton buds, and product packaging.

For more information about CT Day, visit www.coraltriangleday.org

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About CTI-CFF

The Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries, and Food Security (CTI-CFF) is a multilateral partnership of six countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Solomon Islands, and Timor-Leste (CT6). The CT6 countries work together to preserve marine and coastal resources and focus on critical issues such as food security, climate change, and marine biodiversity. The CTI-CFF was formally established during the Leaders’ Summit in 2009, with the adoption of the CTI Regional Plan of Action (CTI RPOA), a strategic action plan with five goals:

  1. Designation of effectively managed seascapes;
  2. Application of an ecosystem approach to fisheries management;
  3. Establishment of a fully functional marine protected area system;
  4. Strengthening climate change adaptation and resilience;
  5. Improving the status of threatened marine species.

About Regional Secretariat

The Regional Secretariat (RS) of the CTI-CFF is mandated to promote regional cooperation, knowledge sharing, and learning within the six member countries of the Coral Triangle. The RS coordinates and monitors the progress of the implementation of the Regional Plan of Action (RPOA) goals. It also supports official meetings and events linked to the CTI-CFF process, including cross-cutting services in monitoring and evaluation, financial coordination, information management, and outreach.

The RS coordinates the implementation of the CTI-CFF RPOA and provides support to, and coordination with, National Coordinating Committees (NCCs), including advising the CTI-CSO on emerging opportunities and priorities to achieve the goals and targets of the RPOA. It also acts as a channel for communication, information sharing, and networking among the Parties, CTI Partners, and other organizations and donors to promote the objectives of the CTI-CFF. The Regional Secretariat is currently based in Manado, North Sulawesi, Indonesia.

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