Strengthen Marine and Coastal Ecosystem Protection in the Wake of Super Typhoon Haiyan, Govts. Urged

Prompted by the increasing impact of climate change on one of Southeast Asia’s major coral reef systems, and guided by lessons from the destruction caused by Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, CTI-CFF member countries have called on governments worldwide to implement policies and programs that strengthen marine resource conservation and enhance the resilience of coastal communities to climate change impacts.

In a communiqué signed on November 27, 2013, representatives from Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and Timor-Leste vowed to “shape national and regional policies for sustainable coastal development, with proper safeguards for climate change adaptation.” This effort aims to reinforce the natural protection provided by the environment and build local capacity for communities to develop appropriate strategies for protecting and sustaining the Coral Triangle.

The communiqué was signed during the 9th CTI-CFF Senior Officials Meeting, held in Manila from November 26–27, 2013. The CTI-CFF is a multilateral partnership of the six countries that surround the world’s richest marine area, known as the Coral Triangle. Officially declared in 2009, the partnership addresses urgent threats to the Coral Triangle’s coastal and marine resources, including destructive fishing, pollution, poorly managed coastal development, and the impacts of climate change.

“We are fully aware that the conservation of the Coral Triangle requires a collaborative, trans-geopolitical effort, bounded not by national borders but by the vibrant ecosystems our nations collectively share, in recognition of the challenges posed by a climate-defined future,” the countries stated.

In the communiqué, the six Coral Triangle countries (CT-6) also committed to assessing the vulnerabilities of their respective coastal areas to climate change and implementing regional and national adaptation programs suited to each country’s needs. The CT-6 noted that the declaration is made “in solidarity with all coastal communities of the world, urban and rural alike, which face a future of intensifying weather, storm surges, rising sea levels, and increasing temperatures.”

Under the CTI-CFF framework, the six countries agreed to implement coordinated efforts under the Regional Plan of Action to protect and manage the Coral Triangle’s resources using cutting-edge science and innovative approaches that recognize the environmental, economic, and socio-cultural needs of the region. CTI-CFF promotes sustainable fisheries, protects threatened species, strengthens management of marine protected areas, and helps coastal communities adapt to climate change risks.