Efforts are ongoing to advance plans for the establishment of the permanent CTI-CFF Regional Secretariat by May 2014.

Following a roadmap endorsed by the 9th Senior Officials Meeting in November 2013, the newly appointed Interim Regional Secretariat (IRS) Chair, Prof. Dr. Ir. Sjarief Widjaja, Ph.D. FRINA, has taken the lead in facilitating the entry into force of the CTI-CFF Agreement to establish the Regional Secretariat. The roadmap targets the Secretariat's establishment by the 5th CTI-CFF Ministerial Meeting in May.

The Solomon Islands Locally Managed Marine Areas Network (SILMMA) has recently been registered as a charitable trust.

SILMMA is a partnership of marine resource organizations, both government and non-government (NGOs and community groups), working together to ensure effective management of marine resources in the Solomon Islands. It serves as a key mechanism for marine protection and is the main resource for the Solomon Islands CTI-CFF National Coordinating Committee (NCC) in nominating sites to the Coral Triangle Marine Protected Area System (CTMPAS).

After nearly 33 years of government service, Ms. Lynette Laroya, a mainstay of CTI-CFF, is bidding farewell to her post at the Philippines’ Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

Timor-Leste should prioritize fisheries management areas in six sites along its North Coast to ensure efficient investments in the protection and management of the Lesser Sunda Ecoregion.

This is the key finding from an analysis by Conservation International (CI), published recently with the support of the Australian Government.

(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.

(Updated March 5, 2014)

The search is underway for the first Executive Director of the CTI-CFF Regional Secretariat.

The Executive Director will serve as the chief administrative officer of the CTI-CFF Regional Secretariat, responsible for carrying out all functions and responsibilities of the Secretariat in accordance with the directives of the Senior Officials Meeting and the Ministerial Meeting. The role also involves providing strategic leadership and management of the Secretariat.

Two universities in eastern Indonesia—the University of Haluoleo (UHO) in Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi, and the University of Pattimura (UNPATI) in Ambon, Maluku—have endorsed the Coral Governance book and adopted it as part of their undergraduate and post-graduate curricula.

The endorsement followed two Training of Trainers sessions held at the universities in January 2014. The trainings were organized by the Indonesia CTI-CFF National Coordinating Committee (NCC) to introduce and socialize the book to universities across the country.

Fishing communities and vendors in the Solomon Islands are using mobile phone technology to develop a real-time database to manage their fish stocks. The project was recently named one of the Grand Prize winners in the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Science and Technology Pioneers Prize contest.

The Pioneers Prize recognizes USAID projects that successfully apply science and technology to solving development challenges.

Beginning January 2014, the WWF Coral Triangle Program has a new leader. Jackie Thomas has taken the helm from Dr. Lida Pet-Soede, who has moved to a global role within the WWF network, focusing on ocean and coastal management to enhance food security and livelihoods, particularly in regions where it is most needed.