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  • 05 Mar 2014

(MEDIA RELEASE) The rehabilitation of Indonesia’s coral reefs will receive over US$62 million in additional funding through the Coral Reef Rehabilitation and Management Program–Coral Triangle Initiative (COREMAP-CTI) project.

The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors today approved US$47.38 million in financing for the project, marking the conclusion of a three-phase program that began in 1998. The project is also supported by a US$10 million grant from the Global Environment Facility (GEF), and the Government of Indonesia has pledged US$5.74 million for the five-year initiative.

Almost two-thirds of Indonesia’s coral reefs are considered threatened by overfishing, with nearly half specifically at risk from destructive fishing practices. COREMAP-CTI aims to develop an integrated, community-based approach to sustainable coastal resource planning and management—a blueprint the Government of Indonesia may replicate nationwide.

“COREMAP-CTI builds on the achievements of previous projects, COREMAP I and COREMAP II, which demonstrated the benefits of community participation in coral reef ecosystem management,” said World Bank Country Director for Indonesia Rodrigo Chaves. “The next challenge is to mainstream this approach into local government and village programs, so coral reef protection becomes an integral part of development planning and improves the welfare of coastal communities.”

COREMAP II helped establish CTI-CFF and set an institutional framework for Indonesia, including supporting regulations, capacity building, and decentralized coral reef administration at the district level. It involved 358 villages in Eastern Indonesia.

Approximately 210 village communities across five provinces—Sikka in East Nusa Tenggara; Selayar and Pangkep in South Sulawesi; Buton and Wakatobi in Southeast Sulawesi; Raja Ampat in West Papua; and Biak in Papua—will participate in COREMAP-CTI. The project will also support 13 Marine Conservation Areas covering around 5.7 million hectares, as well as two Fisheries Management Zones.

COREMAP-CTI continues a 15-year partnership between the Government of Indonesia, the World Bank, and GEF, piloting initiatives such as marine spatial planning, community rights-based fisheries, and ecosystem-based fisheries management.

The Government of Indonesia has pledged to set aside 20 million hectares of marine space for Marine Conservation Area management by 2020. To date, 14 million hectares have been demarcated, and 5.5 million hectares are under management plans. The COREMAP-CTI project serves as the principal mechanism to meet this commitment.

To view the source report, click here (external link).