Rio+20 Update: Sustaining the Coral Triangle’s Marine Biodiversity and its People: Building Sustainable Blue Economies

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil — A group of countries from Southeast Asia and the Pacific came together at the Rio+20 Summit this week to showcase their collective efforts to save the Coral Triangle, one of the most biologically diverse and ecologically rich marine regions on Earth.

At a high-level side event hosted by the Government of Indonesia, the Coral Triangle countries renewed their commitment to the multi-country partnership Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security (CTI-CFF).

In 2009, six countries — Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Solomon Islands, and Timor-Leste — signed one of the world’s most comprehensive regional marine and coastal resource management plans. They agreed to implement an ambitious 10-year Regional Plan of Action (RPOA) to safeguard the Coral Triangle’s marine and coastal biological resources.

Strategically, the Initiative outlines goals and regional priority actions to address the major threats to the region’s marine biodiversity and resources — many of which are shared challenges faced globally. These strategies also align with marine and ocean-related priorities that emerged from the Rio+20 Summit.

The CTI-CFF side event at Rio+20 was attended by Indonesia’s Minister for Marine Affairs and Fisheries, the Prime Minister of Solomon Islands, Malaysia’s Minister for Natural Resources and Environment, the Philippines’ Undersecretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and Timor-Leste’s Vice Minister for Economy and Development.

Several countries expressed their vision for developing blue economies, recognizing the importance of people-centered approaches and healthy marine ecosystems to the livelihoods, income, and sustainable development of their nations.

His Excellency Sharif C. Sutardjo, Minister for Marine Affairs and Fisheries of Indonesia, stated, “Indonesia is strongly committed to the CTI-CFF as an implementing framework for developing a blue economy.”

WWF, a development partner to the Coral Triangle Initiative, congratulated the countries for their leadership and commitment.

“WWF shares the vision for the Coral Triangle Initiative to be an implementing framework for developing blue economies that can derive economic and social benefits from oceans in an efficient, equitable, and sustainable way,” said Yolanda Kakabadse, WWF International President.

Kakabadse also congratulated the Australian Government for its announcement of an AUD 8 million commitment to the Initiative and welcomed the interest in the Coral Triangle expressed by the Government of Germany.

“As one of seven development partners to the CTI-CFF, WWF offers continued support to the Initiative and remains committed to helping achieve the critical political, economic, and social force capable of leading the rapid and large-scale changes required to halt and reverse the threats facing the Coral Triangle,” said Ms. Kakabadse.

“The Coral Triangle is an illustration of the importance of countries cooperating on a regional basis to ensure sustainable management of their significant and shared ocean and coastal resources, securing the linkages between healthy ecosystems and sustainable livelihoods,” she added.

Indonesia’s Minister for Marine Affairs and Fisheries concluded by extending an invitation to the Coral Triangle countries to attend a CTI-CFF Summit at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, which will be hosted by Indonesia in 2013.