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  • 10 Jun 2013

Coral Triangle Day Celebration Jakarta, Indonesia – More than 60 events across nearly 100 locations in six countries – Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands, and Timor-Leste – will mark Coral Triangle Day on June 9, 2013, to raise public awareness of marine resource conservation issues.

Coral Triangle Day, now celebrated for the second consecutive year, brings together individuals, organizations, and establishments to celebrate the beauty and uniqueness of the Coral Triangle region. The event promotes the importance of oceans through activities such as beach clean-ups, sustainable seafood dinners, educational exhibitions, turtle tagging, and more. Nearly 10,000 people across the region are expected to join this year’s festivities.

“We at the Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries, and Food Security (CTI-CFF) Interim Regional Secretariat are inspired by the growing enthusiasm in celebrating Coral Triangle Day 2013,” said CTI-CFF Chair Sudirman Saad. “This encourages us to continue the important, though challenging, work we began in 2009.” He noted that the CTI-CFF, a multilateral partnership of six countries, has demonstrated that regional, national, and community-level collaboration involving multiple stakeholders can make significant progress in protecting the Coral Triangle’s marine and coastal resources.

The Coral Triangle is the nursery of the seas, providing spawning grounds and migratory routes for commercially valuable species such as tuna. It hosts 76% of the world’s coral species, 37% of reef fish species, and shelters thousands of whales, dolphins, rays, sharks, and six of the seven marine turtle species. It sustains over 120 million people who rely on marine resources for food and income. However, coastal development, destructive fishing, overfishing, unsustainable tourism, and climate change threaten its delicate ecosystem.

The CTI-CFF Interim Regional Secretariat and the CTI-CFF National Coordinating Committees, in collaboration with NGOs and local communities, are leading various activities throughout the Coral Triangle countries. Highlights include:

  • June 6, 2013 – Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea: USAID’s Coral Triangle Support Partnership (CTSP) and the Department of Environment and Conservation organize a beach clean-up and turtle tagging at Ela Beach.
  • June 8, 2013 – Dili, Timor-Leste: CTSP and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Organization host an interactive workshop on marine biodiversity.
  • June 8, 2013 – Bali, Indonesia: The Coral Triangle Centre, together with Body Shop Indonesia, join the Marine Foundation for a month-long photography exhibition at Kuta Mall to commemorate Coral Triangle Day and World Oceans Day.
  • June 9, 2013 – Lombok, Indonesia: The CTI-CFF Interim Regional Secretariat and Indonesia’s Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries join beach clean-ups in Ampenan, Bintaro, and Loang Balok/Tanjung Karang. Over 1,500 people are expected to participate in the event organized by the Indonesian Sea Turtle Foundation.
  • June 9, 2013 – Cebu, Philippines: CTSP partners with 17 organizations to organize simultaneous beach clean-ups in Mactan, Ibo, Buaya, and Punta Engano, and underwater clean-ups in Maribago and Marigondon. Local governments also organize mangrove planting activities.
  • June 10–11, 2013 – Putrajaya, Malaysia: The Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation, in collaboration with CTSP, hosts a conference on CTI achievements at the Marriott, Putrajaya.
  • June 11, 2013 – Honiara, Solomon Islands: The Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management, and Meteorology organize an exhibit at the National Gallery highlighting the importance of marine resources.

A more updated list of events and activities can be found at www.thecoraltriangle.com/day. Participants are encouraged to post their videos or photos to show the world their Coral Triangle Day activities and foster a regional community of ocean advocates.

Photo Caption: Traditional Jukung boat race at Loang Balok, Mataram, Lombok, Indonesia to mark Coral Triangle Day. Credit: Arwan Rukma

For inquiries on Coral Triangle Day, contact Arwan Rukma at arukma@cticff.org. For more information on the Coral Triangle Initiative, visit www.coraltriangleinitiative.org.