Coral Triangle Initiative Nears Implementation of Monitoring and Evaluation System

The further implementation of the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Operations Manual of the Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries, and Food Security (CTI-CFF) has been successfully advanced, with all member countries endorsing it and establishing a timetable for M&E implementation. The M&E Working Group (MEWG) presented its report during the 9th CTI-CFF Senior Officials Meeting (SOM9), held on 26–27 November 2013 in Manila.

CTI-CFF comprises countries covering the Coral Triangle, a vast tropical marine ecosystem in Southeast Asia and the Pacific. Member states include Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, the Solomon Islands, and Timor-Leste.

The Philippine delegation, composed of executives from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources–Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau, led by Theresa Mundita Lim, highlighted the M&E framework, benchmarks, process flow, and preliminary capacity assessment, which are crucial for evaluating the effectiveness of coral reef conservation efforts in the region.

The M&E system also plays a critical role in establishing the proposed permanent CTI Regional Secretariat, which coordinates all conservation programs and measures results to ensure continued success.

The MEWG report stressed that several areas still need to be completed for the M&E Operations Manual to be fully operational. These include the endorsement of a proposed Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management, finalization of the Seascapes and Threatened Species Working Groups, testing of all indicators through one round of measurements, and completion of baseline assessments.

Alongside the M&E, the MEWG reported that it is in the final stages of publishing the first Regional State of the Coral Triangle Report, which will provide an overall assessment of coral reef systems in the six member countries and the conservation efforts underway.

With the endorsement of the M&E, representatives from member countries attending SOM9 also acknowledged the need for each country to provide spatial data to the Coral Triangle Atlas. This will populate the M&E system and support national and regional tracking of progress.

Source: Coral Triangle Knowledge Network