The World Bank and the Solomon Islands Government launched (external link) earlier this month a new project to help protect communities against growing risks from climate change and natural disasters.

The CTI-CFF National Secretariat of Malaysia (CTI-Malaysia), its Sabah Branch, and their partners successfully trained 43 trainers on climate change adaptation (CCA) last January.

The workshop, held on January 27-28 in Putrajaya, utilized a CCA toolkit that includes the Coastal Integrity Vulnerability Assessment Tool (CIVAT) and the Tool for Understanding Resilience in Fisheries (TURF).

The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and WeChat are teaming up to make it easier for smartphone users to stay connected with nature, while also generating funds to support the Conservancy’s projects, such as helping sea turtles recover in the Coral Triangle and other parts of the world, TNC said in a news release (external link).

The CTI-CFF’s first Regional Exchange on Seascapes has successfully laid the groundwork for the development of a seascape model for the Coral Triangle.

Organized by the Australian Government and Conservation International, the workshop was designed to develop a shared and better understanding of how integrated ecosystem-based management of oceans and coastal areas in the Coral Triangle has been initiated in each of the CTI-CFF countries and can be progressed under the seascape approach. 

The CTI-CFF takes center stage in the April 2014 edition of Green Light (external link), a publication of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Governance for Sustainability. Green Light, a monthly newsletter highlighting promising economic and environmental initiatives, cites the CTI-CFF as a “model of success.”

In the foreword, James Bacchus, the Council’s Chairman, describes the Initiative as “an exceptional example of a bottom-up approach to governing environmental issues.”

(JCU MEDIA RELEASE) In a world-first study published on April 14, researchers have found that fish in the wild respond adversely to ocean acidification.

“Fish living at natural carbon dioxide seeps have abnormal behaviors similar to what we’ve observed in previous laboratory experiments,” says Professor Philip Munday, lead author of the study from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies (Coral CoE) at James Cook University. He adds that these carbon dioxide levels are similar to what is predicted for the oceans in the second half of this century.

The six CTI-CFF countries have nominated a total of 13 of their most important marine protected areas (MPAs) to the Coral Triangle Marine Protected Area System (CTMPAS). These sites are as follows:

Using time-lapse cinematography, photographer Daniel Stoupin reveals a coral world “full of hypnotic motion.” To view, click the play button below. To learn more about this video, read Mr. Stoupin’s blog (external link).

Malaysia’s Prof. Dato' Dr. Nor Aieni Haji Mokhtar completed her six-year term on February 10 as Undersecretary of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) and Director of MOSTI’s National Oceanography Directorate. In this role, she anchored the National Secretariat of Malaysia’s CTI-CFF National Coordination Committee (NCC-Malaysia). She continues to be a strong supporter of CTI-CFF in an advisory capacity, remaining involved in programs supporting the CTI-CFF Expert Working Group, CTI Women Leaders Forum, and various national and regional projects.

The Government of Timor-Leste has established two marine protected areas (MPAs) as part of ongoing efforts to safeguard the country’s marine resources.

Letters of agreement for the Atauro and Batugade MPAs have been finalized, with the Atauro MPA formally established, according to a visiting team from the Asian Development Bank (ADB).