A new set of guidelines released on January 19, 2012, has for the first time combined and integrated the principles of fisheries, biodiversity, and climate change to establish effective marine protected area (MPA) networks in the Coral Triangle. Previously, many MPA networks were unsuccessful because they focused solely on one principle or objective.

The CTI-CFF High Level Financial Roundtable is scheduled for May 3, 2012, and will be held as a special event during the 45th Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the Asian Development Bank at the Philippine International Convention Center in Manila, Philippines. The event will include a formal meeting and marketplace sessions.

The CTI-CFF Secretariat met with members of the US CTI Support Program Integrator on January 25, 2012, in Jakarta to collaborate on a range of priority CTI issues. These included supporting the process to establish the permanent Secretariat, developing strategies to conduct CTI-CFF Implementation Roadmap activities more effectively, and raising the international profile of CTI through expanded communications and outreach efforts.

A record number of 1.44 million endangered green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) eggs were laid last year on Baguan Island, southern Philippines, achieving an all-time high since 1984. Based on life expectancy rates, these eggs are expected to grow into approximately 13,000 adult sea turtles, boosting a population classified as endangered under the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.