New Phase of ADB's CTI-CFF Project Focuses on Pacific Countries

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has announced details of a new phase of its four-year project supporting the Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security (CTI-CFF).

ADB is providing technical assistance to five Pacific countries through the project “Strengthening Coastal and Marine Resources Management in the Coral Triangle of the Pacific (Phase II)”, which aims to improve the resilience of their coastal and marine ecosystems to climate change.

The project seeks to strengthen the capacity of national and local institutions in Papua New Guinea (PNG), Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Fiji, and Vanuatu in sustainable coastal and marine resource management. It also promotes the application of ecosystem-based fisheries management and climate change adaptation among coastal communities. Three of these five countries—Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Timor-Leste—are members of the CTI-CFF.

More resilient marine and coastal ecosystems in these countries will help halt and reverse the decline in productivity, thereby improving national food security. The project’s capacity-building efforts, aimed at strengthening integrated coastal resource management, will also make coastal community development more resilient to climate change and more sustainable in the long term.

The project has a total cost of US$18.5 million and is funded by the Asian Development Bank with co-financing from the Global Environment Facility, the Regional Cooperation and Integration Fund, and the Australian Institute of Marine Science, as well as cash and in-kind contributions from the governments of the five participating countries.

The project will focus on the following national priorities:

• Fiji: The project will focus on Ra Province, building on lessons learned from past integrated coastal resource management initiatives and applying the Fiji Locally Managed Marine Area (FLMMA) community-based management model. Implementation will be led by the Department of Environment under the guidance of the Integrated Coastal Management Committee.
• Papua New Guinea: Activities will build on coastal management work in Kimbe Bay, focusing on managing land-based threats and identifying livelihood opportunities through ecologically sustainable economic development. The project will also extend ecosystem-based coastal fisheries management in Manus Island, under the leadership of the Department of Environment and Conservation.
• Solomon Islands: The project will introduce integrated coastal resource management and ecosystem-based coastal fisheries management within an existing community-based program, focusing on Malaita and Isabel Provinces. Implementation will be shared by the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology, and the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources.
• Timor-Leste: The National Directorate of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, will introduce integrated coastal resource management and ecosystem-based fisheries management around Atauro Island and Batugede.
• Vanuatu: The Department of Environment, Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, will develop community-based planning on integrated coastal resource management and ecosystem-based fisheries management.

The project also involves collaboration with several nongovernmental organizations, including the International Food Policy Research Institute, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and the WorldFish Center.

Click this link to download the printer-friendly version of the ADB Coral Triangle Pacific Program brief .

For more information, please contact:

Robert Guild
Director, Pacific Department
rguild@adb.org

Marilou Drilon
Senior Natural Resources Economist, Pacific Department
mldrilon@adb.org