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April-June 2012 |
74 |
CTI Develops Roadmap to Finalize Region-wide Monitoring and Evaluation
Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) member countries agreed to a target of September 2012
to finalize a region-wide monitoring and evaluation system at the first formal meeting of
the CTI Monitoring and Evaluation Working Group (MEWG) held on April 25 and 28, 2012 in Manila,
Philippines. The MEWG, which met for the first time since March 2009, reviewed over thirty
indicators to track achievement towards marine and coastal conservation goals set out in the
CTI Regional Plan of Action and link these with economic development and food security.
The indicators included targets to improve fisheries management, mitigate the impacts of
climate change and develop a region-wide Marine Protected Area System. The indicators will be
further refined by other CTI technical working groups and submitted for adoption at the next 8th
CTI Senior Officials Meeting in October 2012 together with an MEWG work and financial plan.
The MEWG also established the outcomes of the State of the Coral Triangle Report as part of its
monitoring and evaluation processes. The finalization and implementation of the CTI monitoring and
evaluation system is critical to tracking progress in the CTI. USAID's US CTI Support Program
facilitated the working group meeting in collaboration with the Philippine CTI National Coordinating
Committee and the Asian Development Bank.
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Philippine and Malaysian Fishermen Forge Trans-boundary Cooperation to Manage Live Reef Fish Trade Fishermen and commercial fish traders from Sabah, Malaysia and Palawan, Philippines attended a roundtable discussion on April 6-13, 2012 in Puerto Princesa to collaborate on live reef fish trade management and increase trans-boundary cooperation to reduce destructive fishing practices. Live reef fish trade involves the capture of reef fish which are kept alive for sale and consumption and often employs destructive fishing practices that can have catastrophic results including fish stock collapse and coral reef destruction. At the end of the roundtable, the participants agreed to adopt a common standard of live reef fish trade and propose to their respective local governments legislation that will regulate and ensure its sustainability. USAID’s Coral Triangle Support Partnership (CTSP) organized the roundtable in collaboration with WWF, the Department of Fisheries Sabah, Sabah Parks, and the Palawan Council on Sustainable Development. CTSP will continue to work with the fishermen and fish traders to realize their action plans. |
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January-March 2012 |
72 |
CTI Develops Framework for Region-wide Marine Protected Area System The six member states of the Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) have laid the foundations for the establishment of a Coral Triangle Marine Protected Area (MPA) System during a workshop held on March 26-30, 2012 in Denpasar, Indonesia. The development of a regional MPA system is one of the main targets of the CTI and is defined as “a comprehensive, ecologically representative and well-managed region-wide MPA system that is connected, resilient, and sustainably financed, and designed in ways that generate significant income, livelihoods and food security”. More than 50 representatives from the Coral Triangle countries and partner organizations gathered for the workshop, formulated a framework for developing and supporting the MPA system, and mapped concrete activities that will be undertaken to ensure that the MPA system will be fully operational in the next two years. The activities were then endorsed by the inter-governmental CTI MPA Technical Working Group which was convened during the workshop. The activity was organized by the Indonesian government supported by USAID’s US CTI Support Program, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Coral Triangle Center. |
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71 |
USAID-supported Community Association Awarded UNDP Equator Prize The 3,500 member Tetepare Descendant’s Association has received the prestigious annual UNDP Equator Prize for successfully establishing a marine conservation program for their ancestral island of Tetepare in Western Province, Solomon Islands. This year’s Equator Prize, which was given to 25 winners out of 800 nominations from 113 countries, acknowledges outstanding efforts to reduce poverty through biodiversity conservation and advancement of locally sustainable development solutions. Representatives of the association will receive the award at the Rio+20 Conference in Brazil in June 2012. Supported by the USAID’s Coral Triangle Support Partnership, WWF -Solomon Islands has worked with the Tetepare Descendant’s Association for several years to establish, manage, and monitor a permanent no-take zone marine protected area (MPA) and to set-up a community scholarship fund and alternative livelihood activities. Since the establishment of the Tetepare Island MPA and its related programs, fish abundance and local incomes have grown substantially while important and endangered species have thrived. The success of USAID’s support for the Tetepare Descendant’s Association was also recently profiled in The Huffington Post and the full article and short film can be accessed via this link |
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Study Aims to Close Scientific Gaps in Coral Triangle Marine Protected Area Management USAID’s Coral Triangle Support Partnership completed a scoping study on March 15, 2012 that identified major scientific gaps that need to be addressed to establish and manage an effective marine protected area (MPA) system in the Coral Triangle. These include the need for scientific data to understand key biological and physical factors necessary for MPA network design such as ocean currents, habitat types, spawning and nesting areas, among others. It also noted the need for scientific assessments to understand social factors such as attitudes and beliefs on the marine environment, traditional knowledge, and customary marine tenure systems. The study interviewed 150 representatives from government, non-government organizations and scientific institutions working in the Coral Triangle. It will guide decision makers and development partners in providing targeted technical assistance to ensure that the scientific needs are addressed at the community, national and regional level. The study has a list of scientists who are willing to provide technical assistance as the need arises. The study can be downloaded from this
link |
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69 |
Malaysia Pilots Fisheries Observers Program in Sabah Malaysia has piloted a Fisheries Observers Program (FOP) to strengthen its commercial fisheries management in the biodiversity-rich Tun Mustapha Park (TMP) in Sabah. Governments implement FOPs by placing independent observers on board commercial fishing vessels to collect data such as by catch, catch composition and fishing gear configuration that are then used to enhance sustainable resource management. Twelve newly-trained observers from local communities within TMP went on board commercial fishing vessels for two months through January 2012 to gather a range of fisheries data that are now being used by the Sabah government to monitor commercial fishing in the 1.02 million hectare proposed park. Training and deploying community members as fisheries observers is part of the overall Malaysia FOP program which includes workshops and learning exchanges for commercial fishers In Sabah. The FOP program in TMP is being implemented by the Department of Fisheries Sabah, Sabah Parks, Kudat Fishing Boat Owners Association and supported by USAID’s Coral Triangle Support Partnership and WWF-Malaysia |
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68 |
New Law Recognizes Rights of Papua New Guinea Community to Manage Marine ResourcesOn February 28, 2012, the local government of Maramatana in Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea passed a new law that recognizes the role and rights of its people as managers of their marine and terrestrial natural resources. The law gives formal legal power to communities to organize themselves and implement natural resource management plans and projects. The passage of the law was led by the Nuakata and Iabam-Pahilele Community-Based Organization (NIP-CBO) supported by Conservation International and USAID’s Coral Triangle Support Partnership (CTSP). NIP-CBO has been engaged in community-based natural resource management in the past years including the development of a management plan for local marine protected areas. Now that it has full government support, the NIP-CBO can move ahead with its plans including designating protected areas and restricting fishing activities. The new law is now being closely watched as a potential model for other local governments and communities in Papua New Guinea as a way to encourage community-based approaches to marine resource management. |
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67 |
Philippines Replicates Successful Mangrove Project Across Marine Biodiversity Corridor
Local communities in biodiversity-rich Verde Island Passage in the Philippines are replicating a successful mangrove rehabilitation project initiated by USAID’s Coral Triangle Support Partnership and Conservation International. Beginning in 2012, the municipalities of Looc and Lubang in Occidental Mindoro will begin a mangrove project that offers livelihood benefits through eco-tourism while addressing climate change risks such as coastal erosion. The project will replicate the design of a mangrove rehabilitation project first implemented in 2010 in neighboring Calatagan, Batangas where 120,000 mangrove seedlings were planted as part of an overall plan to sustain the productivity of the coastal ecosystem along the Passage .The seedlings had a 99% survival rate, were turned over to the local government in August 2011 and are now being managed by communities that have been trained in mangrove monitoring techniques. The success of the project has also attracted other donors such as the German-funded IKI Project which will support other replication sites in the Passage such as in the municipalities of San Juan, Batangas and in Calapan, Oriental Mindoro. |
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66 |
CTI Regional Business Forum Inspires Sustainable Fisheries Partnership
On February 2, 2012, leading Hawaii-based seafood processing and distribution company Norpac Fisheries Export announced that it has forged a partnership with Indonesian tuna fishing company PT Sari Segara Utama to explore the use of sustainable fishing methods. The partnership will expand both companies’ effort to use circle hooks in tuna fishing to reduce the rate of unintended bycatch specifically threatened species such as sea turtles. The new partnership was formed during the USAID-supported Coral Triangle Initiative Regional Business Forum held in October 2011 in Kuala Lumpur. The forum gathered business, government and civil society leaders advocating strong public and private partnerships for the sustainability of the six Coral Triangle nations – Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Solomon Islands, and Timor-Leste. Norpac has the largest fleet of long line fishing vessels in the Western Pacific and over 2,000 employees worldwide. The company says the new partnership supports its commitment to use only environment-friendly fishing methods. |
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65 |
Coral Triangle Initiative Launches Climate Change and Adaptation Learning Network
The Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) launched the CTI Coastal Learning and Adaptation
Network (CTI-CLAN) on February 9, 2012 in the Philippines with support from USAID.
The network connects roughly 100 government, non-government and academic practitioners
working to improve climate change resilience in the six Coral Triangle countries – Indonesia,
Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands, and Timor-Leste.
The network specifically aims to advance science-based planning and share tools and
practices to reduce the risk of climate change impacts and strengthen the resiliency of
roughly 120 million people who live in the Coral Triangle’s coastal areas. The launch capped
a series of intensive training workshops held in the Philippines, Indonesia and Papua New
Guinea which aimed to assist coastal communities in using the CTI Regional and Local Early
Action Plans for Climate Change Adaptation guidelines as their standard tool in adapting to
climate change. |
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64 |
Malaysia Completes Zoning Plan for Its Largest Marine Protected Area
From January 30 to February 3, 2012, representatives from the Department of Marine Parks
and Department of Fisheries in Sabah, Malaysia worked with experts from USAID’s Coral
Triangle Support Partnership (CTSP), the University of Queensland and WWF-Malaysia to
complete a large scale marine protected area (MPA) zoning plan for the proposed 1.02
million hectare Tun Mustapha Park. The draft zoning plan was put together using an
innovative set of guidelines developed by CTSP and is now one of the first in the world
to integrate fisheries, biodiversity, climate change and socio-economic conditions into the
MPA design. The completion of the zoning plan is one of the steps in the process of
establishing the park as a protected area under Malaysian law.
The park is considered the largest marine protected area in Malaysia and is globally
significant for its rich marine ecosystem that is home to several threatened marine
species such as dugongs and sea turtles. Once established, the park will be included in
the region-wide network of the Coral Triangle Marine Protected Area System |
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63 |
CTI Course on Climate Change Adaptation Spurs
Region-wide Action
Thirty two Malaysian and Philippine representatives from
government, non-government and academic organizations
have developed local climate change adaptation plans for
their respective coastal communities after attending an
intensive training course organized by USAID’s Coral
Triangle Initiative (CTI) Support Program. The course,
which was held in Tagaytay, Philippines from January
31-February 9, 2012, enabled participants to identify
climate change risks and assess adaptation options for
critical coastal infrastructure, habitats and vulnerable
areas with links to marine protected area and coastal
fisheries management. The course is the third of a
series of trainings aimed to assist local communities
across the Coral Triangle in using the CTI Regional and
Local Early Action Plans for Climate Change Adaptation
as their main tools in improving their communities’
resilience to climate change. The University of the
Philippines Marine Science Institute developed the
training curriculum in collaboration with the Coastal
Resources Center at the University of Rhode Island
through USAID support. |
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62 |
Conservation Efforts Boost Endangered Sea Turtle
Population in the Coral Triangle
A record number of 1.44 million endangered green sea
turtle (Chelonia mydas) eggs were laid last year in
Baguan Island, southern Philippines - achieving an
all-time high since 1984. Factoring life expectancy
rates, the eggs are expected to grow into 13,000 adult
sea turtles and boost a dwindling population classified
as endangered under the International Union for
Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species.
The increase in the number of eggs is a direct result of
USAID-supported conservation, enforcement and community
engagement in the area implemented through Coral
Triangle Support Partnership and Conservation
International. Baguan is one of the nine islands that
comprise the Turtle Islands Heritage Protected Area in
the Coral Triangle and jointly managed by Malaysia and
the Philippines. USAID’s marine resource management
programs in Baguan includes strengthening the capacity
of the Philippine Navy and Coast Guard to enforce rules
against sea turtle poaching; engaging local communities
through conservation agreements; introducing alternative
livelihood programs to reduce dependency on marine
resources; and the facilitation of bilateral eco-tourism
development in the area.To see more photos of the
turtles and there nesting ground follow this
link |
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61 |
Coral Triangle Initiative Interim Regional Secretariat Team Grows in Strength and Numbers
USAID’s Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) Support Program has further strengthened the CTI Interim Regional Secretariat by supporting a dedicated information and communications officer based in Jakarta beginning January 2012. The communications officer will be instrumental in strengthening the CTI Secretariat’s role in regional coordination and promoting political will and consensus building among partners and all six Coral Triangle countries to implement the marine conservation and sustainability goals of the CTI regional and national plans of action. The officer will also take the lead in CTI communications and outreach efforts promoting the CTI’s visibility in the international, regional and local arenas through various print and online outlets such as the newly-launched USAID-supported CTI Secretariat website
(www.coraltriangleinitiative.org), newsletter, Facebook page and Twitter account. |
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60 |
US CTI Support Program Launches Innovative Approach to Managing Marine Protected
Areas across the Coral Triangle A USAID-funded set of guidelines released on January 19, 2012 has for the first time combined and integrated the principles of fisheries, biodiversity and climate change in establishing effective marine protected area (MPA) networks in the Coral Triangle. In the past, many MPA networks were unsuccessful because they focused solely on one principle and objective. The new guidelines aim to address this concern by enabling MPA networks to simultaneously achieve fisheries sustainability, biodiversity conservation and ecosystem resilience in the face of climate change. The guidelines form part of a toolkit that will be rolled out in 2012 that will aid government, non-government and community resource managers to promote sustainable fishing practices, conserve the Coral Triangle’s ecosystem and achieve the goals of the Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) Regional and National Plans of Action. USAID’s US CTI Support Program developed the guidelines through the Coral Triangle Support Partnership – a consortium of non-government organizations composed of the World Wildlife Fund, The Nature Conservancy and Conservation International.
The report can be downloaded from the website by following this
link. |
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October - December 2011 |
59 |
Tourism Industry Leader Leads Sustainable Seafood Drive in Malaysia
On December 8, 2011, Shangri-la’s Tanjung Aru Resort launched its first
ever sustainable seafood awareness campaign in Sabah, Malaysia in collaboration
with the Sabah government and USAID’s US Coral Triangle Initiative Support
Program working through WWF-Malaysia. During the launch, the management of
the 492-room resort demonstrated its commitment to purchase its seafood supply
from sustainable sources through public-private partnerships with local
fishermen’s organizations in the nearby Tun Mustapha Park. This effort
encourages local fishing communities to stop using destructive fishing practices
and helps protect the marine ecosystem in the area. The one million hectare park
is among the biodiversity hotspots in the Coral Triangle and is home to
Malaysia’s second largest concentration of coral reefs, mangroves, seagrass
beds and endangered marine species, including turtles and dugongs. Shangri-la’s
effort to help protect the marine environment was also cited at the
USAID-supported Coral Triangle Initiative Regional Business Forum in October 2011
and is being used as a model for public-private initiatives in the region. |
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58 |
Coral Triangle Initiative Launches Official Website and
Online Information Hub
The Regional Secretariat of the Coral Triangle
Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security
(CTI) launched its new official website at
www.coraltriangleinitiative.org on December
2, 2011. The website, which aims to serve as the “go-to”
site and gateway for Coral Triangle resources, features
a fully indexed searchable document library containing
official documents, as well as studies, reports and
tools supporting the CTI goals such as sustainable
fisheries, marine protected areas management, climate
change adaptation and threatened species protection,
among others. It has an up-to-date calendar of events,
news bulletins, and direct links to online CTI technical
work spaces and other Coral Triangle related sites such
as the Coral Triangle Atlas. The site, developed through
support from USAID’s US CTI Support Program, will be
managed by the Jakarta-based CTI Secretariat with
content contributions from the six CTI countries –
Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines,
Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste and development
partners. |
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57 |
Community Leaders from Indonesia and Timor-Leste Learn to Use New Tool Kit for Climate Change
Twenty seven government and non-government organization leaders from coastal areas in Indonesia and Timor-Leste participated in a training workshop in Denpasar, Indonesia to learn how to use a tool kit for adapting to the risks of climate change. The U.S. Coral Triangle Initiative Tool Kit: Local Early Action Planning (LEAP) Tools for Climate Adaptation is a comprehensive collection of cutting-edge scientific and social instruments that local governments can use to work with their constituents to conduct climate outreach, develop qualitative climate change vulnerability assessments, and create site-specific adaptation plans. It was developed under the U.S. CTI Support Program to support the CTI Regional Early Action Plan for Climate Change Adaptation, and the workshop is one of a series of LEAP trainings for CTI countries. The workshop was organized by the Indonesia Locally-Managed Marine Area Foundation, with support from the U.S. National Fish and Wildlife Foundation as well as USAID’s Indonesia Marine and Climate Support Project and Marine Protected Area Governance Project. |
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56 |
Coral Triangle Atlas Hits Record Number of Users
The Coral Triangle (CT) Atlas is fast becoming recognized as the most reliable and data-rich source of information on marine habitats and protected areas in the region. The online portal recorded a 40% increase in unique visitors from 51 countries between August and September 2011, a critical surge in awareness and usage of the site following outreach and communications initiatives. The CT Atlas provides spatial information and a vast range of fisheries, biodiversity, natural resources, and socioeconomic data sets that assist users to develop sustainable solutions for marine resource management. The CT Atlas team continues to build partnerships with the six Coral Triangle governments, Asia's leading scientific institutions, non-government organizations and US agencies such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The site has been developed through the U.S. Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) Support Program and can be accessed at http://ctatlas.reefbase.org/ |
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Ministers of the six Coral Triangle Countries Adopt Agreement Establishing Permanent Secretariat
The Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) entered a critical new phase on October 28, 2011 when ministers from the six Coral Triangle countries – Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste - officially adopted agreements on the establishment of the permanent Regional Secretariat of the Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security at the third CTI Ministerial Meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia. The six countries also endorsed other decisions such as the CTI Secretariat Transition Roadmap that includes among others: recruitment of Secretariat staff and initiation of collection of country contributions within the 12-month period. The countries also elected Malaysia as the Chair and the Independent States of Papua New Guinea as Vice Chair of the CTI Council of Ministers for the period of two years from November 20, 2011 to November 19, 2013. It also agreed to extend the mandate of the Jakarta-based CTI Interim Secretariat until the permanent secretariat becomes fully operational. The achievements mark a critical turning point for the CTI and are the culmination of significant effort by the US Government through the USAID funded US CTI Support Program. |
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Coral Triangle Countries Adopt Region-Wide Early Action Plan for Climate Change Adaptation
The Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) 7th Senior Officials Meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia from October 28-30, 2011 marked a landmark occasion with achievements including not only consensus on the agreements to establish the permanent CTI Secretariat, but the adoption of the first completed target of the CTI Regional Plan of Action. Addressing the Regional Plan’s Climate Change Goal, the eagerly awaited Region-wide Early Action Plan for Climate Change Adaptation for Nearshore Marine and Coastal Environment and Small Island Ecosystems, prioritizes immediate actions that governments and communities must implement to reduce the impacts of climate variability and increase the resiliency of the Coral Triangle’s coastal and marine resources. Trends indicate that up to 95% of the coral reefs in the Coral Triangle may be under severe threat by 2050 due to climate change and stresses on fisheries, directly jeopardizing the lives and livelihoods of the region’s120 million coastal inhabitants. The Region-wide Action Plan for Climate Change Adaption was developed with support from United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through its US CTI Support Program, which will continue to assist the CTI with the implementation of a number of the Action Plan’s recommendations. |
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Business Partnerships Showcase Innovative Technologies to Conserve Coral Triangle Resources.
Business leaders engaged 200 participants at the Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) Regional Business Forum on October 10-11 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to celebrate new partnerships to protect Coral Triangle resources while ensuring economic growth. Hosted by the Government of Malaysia with support from USAID’s US CTI Support Program and WWF, this forum drew representatives from businesses such as Google USA, Nokia, Shangri-La Hotels, and TESCO chain stores. Michael T. Jones, Chief Technology Advocate for software giant Google, stated “The challenges of the Coral Triangle Initiative are of a scale requiring cooperation between the peoples of these nations, their governments, and the businesses that serve them. Google is pleased to be an active part of these positive initiatives to sustain fragile ecosystems, enhance economic and natural prosperity, and more closely connect people so that the best ideas and ambitions can be realized.” Senior government officials, including US Ambassador to Malaysia Paul W. Jones, witnessed the announcement of 11 innovative partnerships that will help protect sensitive marine species, strengthen competitiveness of local fishermen in the marketplace, and incorporate sustainability benchmarks into supply chains. |
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July-September 2011 |
52 |
Coastal Communities in Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea Learn to Adapt to Climate Change
.Two dozen academics, government officials and environmentalists from Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands completed a highly specialized training program on September 29, 2011 that will help coastal communities in their countries adapt to a changing climate. The training equipped participants with the knowledge and skills to assess their communities’ vulnerability to climate change risks and identify adaptation methods that will best fit local conditions. By the end of the program, the participants were able to develop action plans for climate change adaptation in their own localities and were trained to replicate the program to further pass on skills. An outcome of the training-of-the trainer course component was a commitment by Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea government officials to institutionalize the course and create a national network of training teams. The training was organized by USAID’s US Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) Support Program, along with experts from the University of Rhode Island Coastal Resource Center, the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute and the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The US CTI Support Program will conduct a similar course on climate change adaptation in Manila later in the year for participants from Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia and Timor-Leste. |
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Six Coral Triangle Countries Agree to Common Approach to Tackle Overfishing From September 20-23, 2011 in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, the six member countries of the Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) – Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste –met to develop a regional framework for managing their fisheries in a more sustainable manner. This framework will target rampant overfishing and destructive fishing practices in the Coral Triangle, and provide a way to harmonize national actions for the sustainable management of a multi-billion dollar fisheries industry that provides livelihoods and food for millions of people in the region and around the world. In addition, a consultative body is planned on the live reef food fish trade that will include the private sector, governments and other stakeholders. This is the first time that all six Coral Triangle countries have come together to work on a common framework for stronger legislation and local action for sustainable fisheries across the region. The regional exchange and policy meeting was conducted through the support of USAID’s US CTI Support Program and the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, in collaboration with the Malaysian government. |
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50 |
Solomon Islands Mayors Sign Landmark Pact to Protect Environment and Coastal Resources.Local government leaders in the Solomon Islands – composed of nine provincial premiers and the mayor of the capital Honiara – signed a communiqué to collaborate in protecting the environment and to support communities-based efforts to sustainably manage their resources. The new pact will ensure that policies developed to protect and sustain some of the world’s most precious and diverse marine and coastal resources will be implemented across the country’s nine provinces. The pact was forged during the country’s first ever local leaders’ environmental roundtable held on September 12-16, 2011 in Gizo, Western Province, organized by the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology as a local replication of the first Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) Mayors’ Roundtable meeting held in Wakatobi, Indonesia in May 2011. Two local leaders from the Solomon Islands who attended that first regional roundtable, also organized by the US CTI Support Program, were inspired by how local leaders from other Coral Triangle countries were taking the lead in protecting their marine and coastal resources and adapted a similar strategy in their home country. |
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49 |
Women in Malaysia and Timor-Leste Earn More Income and Reduce Pressure on Fisheries. Eighteen women from coastal communities in Sabah, Malaysia learned to improve their mat-weaving techniques after attending a training workshop at the Banggi Environmental Awareness Center, as part of an initiative to promote alternative livelihoods in fisheries-dependent communities. The workshop, supported by USAID through the Coral Triangle Support Partnership (CTSP), aimed to improve the women’s capacity to produce handicrafts from the locally-abundant Pandanus leaf and at the same time reduce dependence on fishing activities as a major source of income. A parallel activity was held at the Nino Konis Santana (NKS) National Park in Timor-Leste to revive interest in a traditional Tai cloth weaving. Women in the vicinity attended a workshop where an expert weaver demonstrated Tai pattern and dyeing techniques. Tai sold by women represents a large source of additional cash-income for coastal households, earning each household an average of $20-45 a month. These funds compliment income from fisheries, which is the primary livelihood activity in the area predominantly undertaken by men. |
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| April-June 2011 |
48 |
USAID Strengthens Drive Against Destructive Fishing Activities in the Philippines. Twenty two government officers from nine municipalities in Palawan, Philippines strengthened their capacity to fight illegal and destructive fishing activities after attending a Fish Examiners’ Training in Puerto Princesa City on June 20-22, 2011. The three-day training will enable the officers to assist the police and the coast guard in determining, through scientific examinations, whether fish on-board commercial fishing vessels are caught illegally using explosives. Fishing boats found to have used explosives are not allowed to land in seaports and unload their catch. The training was organized by USAID’s US CTI Support Program, through the Coral Triangle Support Partnership working with WWF-Philippines, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, the Philippine National Police and the Philippine Coast Guard. |
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47 |
USAID Joins Forces with the US Navy and NOAA to Equip Timor-Leste with Tools to Implement Sustainable Fisheries Programs. Fisheries and coastal resource managers from government and non-government organizations in Timor-Leste learned how to better manage their sites after attending a three-day workshop in Dili on June 20-22, 2011 organized by USAID’s US Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) Support Program. The workshop enabled the 25 participants to apply two sustainable fisheries approaches - Integrated Coastal Management (ICM) and Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management (EAFM) - and the corresponding tools and methods in their project sites. The participants identified immediate actions that they will undertake to ensure that their sites are sustainably managed. Experts from the Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia, the Pacific Command of the US Navy, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) also served as resource persons during the training. |
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46 |
Coral Triangle’s Local Government Leaders
Pledge to Protect Marine Resources.On May 20, 2011, 36 local government
leaders from the six Coral Triangle countries – Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea,
Philippines, Solomon Islands and Timor Leste – gathered in Wakatobi, Sulawesi,
Indonesia and signed a communiqué formalizing their commitment to advocate for stronger
policies that protect marine resources, promote awareness of
the Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) and share experiences and best practices to
enhance their roles as good caretakers of their environment.
The signing which capped the four-day CTI Mayors Roundtable held from May 16-19 this week,
build on what has become known as the Wakatobi Commitment, a pledge made in December 2009
by local government leaders across Indonesia. The CTI Mayors Roundtable,
supported by USAID’s US CTI Support Program, marks the next step in establishing
the CTI Local Governance Network, an expanding group of local government leaders
and associations across the Coral Triangle advocating for strengthened local
environmental governance, sustainable coastal management, and community resiliency within
the Coral Triangle - the world’s epicenter of marine biodiversity. |
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45 |
Coral Triangle Countries Move Forward on Region-Wide System of Marine Protected Areas.
Experts, practitioners and government representatives from across
the Coral Triangle and around the world gathered in Batangas, Philippines on May 9-13, 2011
to develop and begin implementing a series of strategies that will strengthen
the management of marine protected areas (MPAs) across the world’s epicenter of
marine biodiversity and provide the foundation for the development of a region-wide
Marine Protected Area System. Well-managed MPAs conserve biological diversity,
protect fish spawning and nursery habitats, protect shorelines, serve as a platform
for scientific research and eco-tourism, improve food security, and enhance
the quality of life in surrounding communities. The participants also developed action
plans to draft and test national MPA management effectiveness in selected MPAs in
the Coral Triangle. USAID’s US CTI Support Program supported the workshop and helps
strengthen the management
and enforcement of MPA regulations in 17 priority sites across the Coral Triangle
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Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) Countries Take Action to Adapt to Climate Change.
Representatives of the CTI member states gathered in Honiara, Solomon Islands on April 14-21, 2011 for the Regional Exchange on Climate Change Adaptation (CCA).
The exchange, with assistance from the US CTI Support Program, focused on identifying tools and methods available for
implementing early actions, vulnerability assessments, and adaptation strategies in the Coral Triangle, the most diverse marine ecosystem in the world.
The CTI CCA Technical Working Group was convened for the first time during the exchange and drafted a decision memorandum for the Senior Government Officials on key CCA action items.
CT6 delegates reviewed and finalized the CCA Regional Early Action Plan framework and identified early regional,
national and sub-national actions under three priority adaptation themes, namely, coastal marine ecosystems, food security and livelihood,
and coastal infrastructure. Science and climate change experts from NOAA, NASA, USAID, CI, TNC, and WWF
participated in the event and shared their experiences.
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| January to March 2011 |
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43 |
CTI Regional Learning Network Design Initiated
Sixty participants representing a range of governmental, academic,
and non-governmental stakeholders from across the Coral Triangle met in Manila,
Philippines on March 17-18, 2011 to initiate the design of a Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI)
Regional Learning Network. Widely recognized as a critical need and referenced in
the CTI Regional and National Plans of Action, the Learning Network design initiative was seen as a significant step in
forging and strengthening linkages in the CTI between policy makers, scientists and practitioners.
The Coral Triangle Center serving as the designated CTI interim Regional Secretariat’s service provider for Learning Networks through a grant under
the US CTI Support Program facilitated the two day meeting. The event which was hosted by the Government of the Philippines and
the CTI Secretariat followed and complimented the ADB’s Knowledge Management and State of
the Coral Triangle Report meetings held on March 15-16.
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42 |
US Ambassador to Malaysia visits proposed Marine Park in Sabah.
US Ambassador to Malaysia Paul W. Jones visited communities at
the Tun Mustapha Park (TMP) on March 11, 2011 to learn more about
marine conservation and sustainability activities supported by USAID’s
US CTI Support Program through the Coral Triangle Support Partnership and implemented
by WWF Malaysia. Ambassador Jones engaged with students and community leaders to emphasize
the global importance of TMP as for its rich marine resources. The US CTI Support Program is supporting the establishment of the
TMP as a multiple-use marine protected area. The proposed park encompasses more than one million hectares and is home
to several endangered marine species and provides major fisheries for producers in Malaysia.
Follow this link to see a video of the visit:
http://www.youtube.com/user/usembassykl
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41 |
Gazettement of Proposed Marine Park in Malaysia Gains Government Support.
On February 2, 2011, the Malaysian government designated a steering committee to establish an integrated management plan for
the proposed one-million hectare Tun Mustapha Park (TMP) in Sabah, Malaysia. The creation of the steering committee,
which is composed of government and non-government representatives, paves the way for the official declaration of TMP as a marine park under Malaysian law.
The management plan outlines three goals: 1) conserve biodiversity, 2) ensure sustainable development, and 3) alleviate poverty in the proposed park. Once officially recognized by law,
the TMP will be the first park in Malaysia that is collaboratively managed through a consultative and participatory process with multiple stakeholders, including local communities. USAID’s US CTI Support Program, through the Coral Triangle Support Partnership working with WWF Malaysia, aided the formation of the TMP interim
committee and continues to support ongoing marine conservation activities within the park.
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| October-December 2010 |
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40 |
USAID Supports
Eco-Tourism to Reduce Climate Change Risks in the Philippines.
USAID’s US CTI Support Program, through the Coral Triangle Support Partnership (CTSP),
has teamed up with the local government of Calatagan in the Philippines to support eco-tourism at a mangrove
conservation park in the Verde Island Passage (VIP). The development of the Quilitisan Nature Park is part of an overall
plan to sustain the productivity of the coastal ecosystems along the VIP through mangrove rehabilitation schemes that offer
livelihood benefits while reducing climate change risks such as coastal erosion. On November 25, 2010, CTSP sent two ornithologists to
the park to capture data on the migratory birds that flock to the area. The data is expected to provide baseline zoological information
and feed into the development of a guide aimed at drawing birding enthusiasts to the community-managed mangrove forest. The park, which offers
educational tours and engages visitors to learn about and support the on-going mangrove reforestation in the area, is being closely watched as a
model for incorporating private sector engagement in marine resource conservation. Park visitors will also learn about the importance of
conservation activities in the VIP, which is considered to have one of
the highest concentrations of marine species in the world.
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39 |
USAID and
NOAA Strengthen Indonesia’s Capacity to Protect
Marine Biodiversity
Fifty officers from Indonesia Ministry of Marine Affairs (MMAF) improved their capacity to effectively manage and operate marine protected areas (MPAs) after attending a training program organized by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) under USAID’s US Coral Triangle Initiative Support Program. The five-day activity was held on November 21-28, 2010 in Banyuwangi, East Java, Indonesia and included participants from various MMAF field operating units across the country. The training activity forms part of the US CTI Support Program’s collaboration with the MMAF to develop and implement a long-term MPA management capacity development program that will build a team of highly-skilled MPA practitioners and institutionalize an MPA training program in government. NOAA supports this effort through curriculum development, training of trainers and the establishment of an MPA Certification Program. This will effort will support Indonesia's goal to designate 20 million hectares of well-managed MPAs by 2020.
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38 |
Indonesia
Declares Ocean Waters around Nusa Penida as Protected Area.
On November 21, 2010, the Government of Indonesia declared 20,000 hectares of ocean waters around
the popular diving site Nusa Penida a marine protected area (MPA). Nusa Penida, located southeast of Bali,
forms part of the Coral Triangle region and is home to rich marine biodiversity including 296 coral and 576 fish species.
By declaring the area an MPA, the government protects the site from destructive activities such as cyanide and dynamite
fishing while supporting the ability of local fishermen to use sustainable fishing practices. USAID’s US CTI Support Program,
through the Coral Triangle Support Partnership, collaborated with Indonesia’s Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries and local
communities in Nusa Penida in establishing the MPA and will continue to support activities to ensure its effective management.
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37 |
Solomon Islands
Develop Climate Change Adaptation Plan.
The Government of Solomon Islands held its first ever Climate Change Vulnerability and Adaptation workshop on November 15, 2010 in Honiara.
Fifteen participants from government and non-government organizations attended the event which focused on developing a climate change
vulnerability assessment guide for the country’s marine sector. The workshop is the first of a series of activities
that will lead to the formulation of national action plan for climate change adaptation and data management in the country.
The workshop, supported by technical experts from the Coral Triangle Support Partnership, was led by two government officers from
the Solomon Islands who attended a three-work course on coastal adaptation to climate change at the University of Rhode Island in
the U.S. in June 2010 through support from USAID's US CTI Support Program. The Solomon Islands Government co-chairs
the Coral Triangle Initiative Regional Working Group on Climate Change Adaption.
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36 |
Coral Triangle
Countries Collectively Strengthen Capacity to Adapt to Climate Change.
Twenty five representatives from the Coral Triangle Countries - Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands and Timor Leste - met in Ancol, Indonesia on Oct 21-23, 2010 to prepare a region-wide Early Action Plan that addresses the region’s immediate climate change adaptation needs. The Coral Triangle is considered the global epicenter of marine biodiversity and the plan will support regional and country level actions that will strengthen marine ecosystems and coastal communities’ resilience to climate change. The representatives also prepared a communiqué that calls for the recognition of the large role of oceans, coasts and small islands in climate change adaptation and mitigation. The communiqué will be presented at the upcoming UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of Parties in Cancun, Mexico on November 29-December 10, 2010. USAID’s Coral Triangle Initiative Support Program organized and funded the meeting in collaboration with the Indonesia Ministry of Marine Affairs and will support the countries in implementing the action plan.
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35 |
Coral Triangle
Region Confront Growing Threats from Live Reef Fish Trade.
Forty representatives from government, non-government, academia and commercial fish trading
firms from Coral Triangle countries attended a workshop in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia on Oct 12-15, 2010
to find practical solutions to overexploitation caused by the growing live reef food fish trade (LRFT).
LRFT involves the capture of reef fish which are kept alive for sale and consumption, often resulting
in fish stock depletion and destruction of coral reefs. The meeting participants recommended the formulation
of a multi-stakeholder forum that will ensure the sustainability of LRFT by addressing critical issues such as
regulation of size and maturity of fish catch, traceability, addressing demand and increasing awareness among
consumers and suppliers. USAID’s US CTI Support Program funded and organized the workshop in collaboration with WWF,
the State Government of Sabah and the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation Malaysia.
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34 |
Solomon Islands
Strengthens Legal Capacity to Protect Marine Resources.
To strengthen the legal framework protecting its marine resources,
85 community representatives, government officials and conservation practitioners from
the Solomon Islands attended a five-day workshop in Gizo, Western Province on October 4-8, 2010
to review a proposed regulation that will cover the establishment and management of marine protected areas (MPAs)
in the country. The workshop participants prepared recommendations for the Solomon Islands
government which is currently in the process of fine-tuning the Protected Areas Regulations Act 2010,
a landmark law that will provide teeth to enforcement of fisheries regulations inside MPAs.
The participants also developed a Best Practice Guidance Model for community based natural
resource management that will be refined and replicated all over the country.
The Coral Triangle Support Partnership, a project of USAID’s Coral Triangle Initiative Support Program,
provided funding for and facilitation assistance to the workshop, which also served as a
platform for cross-sectoral engagement to support the Coral Triangle Initiative within the Solomon Islands.
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| July-September 2010 |
| 33 |
USAID
Rallies Commercial Fishers to Conserve Marine Resources in Malaysia.
On September 23-24, 2010, forty-five representatives from the commercial fishing industry, government and non-government agencies in Kudat, Sabah,
Malaysia agreed to adopt sustainable fishing practices to stem the decline of fish stocks and promote sustainable marine resource management in the area.
The commercial fishers agreed take into account the conservation of marine ecosystem, protection of species and the well-being of local communities
in their fishing practices. The Kudat-Banggi Priority Conservation Area forms the proposed Tun Mustapha National Park, a 1.02 million hectare site
considered globally significant for its rich marine ecosystem that is home to several endangered marine species and one of the top producers
of fisheries in Malaysia. USAID's Coral Triangle Support Partnership, a project of the US CTI Support Program, supports the establishment of the Tun Mustapha as multiple-use marine protected area.
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32 |
USAID Tackles
Illegal Fishing in the Coral Triangle.
Forty five fishermen and local government officials from the municipalities of Sitangkai and Languyan in Tawi-Tawi,
Philippines participated in a workshop on September 20-23, 2010 aimed to combat illegal, unregulated and unreported
fishing practices in their municipal waters including marine protected areas. Workshop participants learned about
various laws and regulations that curtail illegal fishing practices and corresponding procedures needed to enforce these.
They also learned proper procedures in conducting arrests and custodial investigation of violators.
The workshop was organized by the local governments of Sitangkai and Languyan and supported by
USAID’s Coral Triangle Support Partnership, a project of the US CTI Support Program. Workshop facilitators included
officers from WWF Philippines, Philippine National Police, Philippine Navy and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources.
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| 31 |
Coral
Triangle Countries Learn Innovative Fisheries Management
Tools from US Training. Eleven government officials, university faculty and professionals from the six Coral Triangle countries completed a three-week course on Leadership for Fisheries Management at the University of Rhode Island’s Coastal Resource Center in Narragansett, Rhode Island this week. The course ran from August 26 to September 3, 2010 and taught participants from Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Timor Leste how to integrate livelihood, sustainability, aquaculture, tourism, and coastal development in fisheries management. Upon their return home, the participants from the Coral Triangle countries will provide technical and management support to their respective government, academic and non-government organizations in implementing their Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) National Plan of Action both at the national and community level. USAID’s US CTI Support Program facilitated and funded the countries’ participation in the course and will assist the participants in implementing their plans of action. |
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30 |
Philippine
Municipality Tackles Live Reef Fish Trade at the Community
Level.. More than 100 fishermen, live reef fish (LRF) traders and local government officials gathered on August 10, 2010 in Araceli Municipality in Palawan, Philippines to develop a plan on eco-system based fisheries management specifically focusing on how to control the growing live reef fish trade in the area. The workshop participants identified several priority actions which included the establishment of marine-protected areas, setting up a regulatory system for fishers and traders and the delineation of municipal water boundaries and zones. They also discussed other illegal fishing practices such as the use of sodium cyanide, poaching from other municipalities and overlapping municipal waters with the neighboring towns that cause confusion among fishermen. Araceli is a low-income municipality whose marine resources are at risk from unregulated fishing practices and lack of marine law enforcement. The workshop was supported by the US CTI Support Program through the Coral Triangle Support Partnership in collaboration with the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development, Western Philippine University, and the Environmental Legal Assistance Center. |
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| 29 |
Captured Rare Fish Released Back to the Wild. A Malaysian initiative to restore threatened fish populations advanced on July 30, 2010 when fifty rare humphead wrasse (Cheilinus undulatus) were successfully released at the Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park in Sabah, Malaysia as part of the buyback program to increase the population of the rare fish species in the area. The Sabah local government banned the export of humphead wrasse from the island on January 1, 2010 after a survey by WWF Malaysia and the Department of Fisheries –Sabah showed that wild populations of the fish species were rapidly declining. The US CTI Support Program through its Coral Triangle Support Partnership, in collaboration with the Department of Fisheries, implemented a buyback program to rescue the remaining stocks of captured humphead wrasse held by local traders. As of July, the buyback program has rescued 862 humphead wrasses, which were tagged for monitoring and released in several undisclosed marine protected areas throughout Sabah in the hope that they will breed and replenish the declining population in the island. The July release of the humphead wrasse coincided with the annual Sulu-Sulawesi Marine Eco-region tri-national meeting that brought together government representatives from Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines to discuss the conservation and sustainability of the biodiversity-rich eco-region that straddles the three countries’ sea territories.
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28 |
New Marine Management Plan Will Protect Sea Turtles in Indonesia.
Forty five government officials and community leaders gathered in East Kalimantan, Indonesia on July 14, 2010 to formulate policies and launch a baseline study that will strengthen the management of the 1.27 million-hectare Berau Marine Protected Area (MPA). The Berau MPA is a key part of the Sulu-Sulawasi Marine Ecoregion and is considered the largest nesting and feeding site for the endangered green turtles and hawksbills in Southeast Asia with approximately 5,000 female turtles nesting in the islands every year. USAID’s Coral Triangle Support Program organized and facilitated the workshop and will provide technical support in the development of the Berau MPA Management Plan.
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| April-June 2010 |
| 27 |
Volunteers Plant Mangroves to Prevent Coastal Erosion in the Philippines.
On June 25, 2010, USAID’s Coral Triangle Support Partnership (CTSP) led 200 volunteers in planting 10,000 mangrove seedlings on the Calatagan coastline in Batangas, Philippines. The volunteers included the Mayor of Calatagan, members of the Philippine Coast Guard, community groups living in the area and volunteers from Conservation International and USAID Philippines. Once fully grown, the mangroves are expected to prevent erosion on Calatagan’s coastline, which is adjacent to the Verde Island Passage (VIP) - a corridor of coral-filled waters in the Philippines considered to have one of the highest concentrations of marine species in the world. The planting activity is part of a mangrove reforestation strategy developed by the local government of Calatagan, supported by CTSP, to rehabilitate mangroves in the area and sustain the marine ecosystem in the VIP.
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26 |
Philippine
Coast Guard Learns Rescue Techniques to Save Stranded
Marine Wildlife.
Sixty members of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) learned rescue techniques for saving stranded marine wildlife, such as sharks and sea turtles, after attending a two-day training program organized by USAID’s US CTI Support Program on May 26-27, 2010. The training focused on the identification of marine mammals, turtles, and sharks and how to manage stranding rescue, response, handling and reporting of these animals. Resource persons from Conservation International, Philippines’ Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and the PNP conducted the training, which could pave the way for the creation of marine rescue units in the Coast Guard.
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| 25 |
US Training Provides Coral Triangle Countries with Tools
to Adapt to Climate Change.
Fourteen government officials, university faculty and professionals from Coral Triangle countries completed a three-week course on Coastal Adaptation to Climate Change at the University of Rhode Island’s Coastal Resources Center in Narragansett, Rhode Island. The course ran from June 7 to June 25, 2010, and provided the participants from Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands with knowledge, skills and tools to assess the vulnerability of coastal communities to climate change and identify adaptation options. The participants also received training in developing strategies to address coastal impacts of climate change. The CTI team will provide valuable support to their respective governments in developing their Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) early action plans for climate change adaption upon their return home. USAID’s US CTI Support Program facilitated and supported the countries’ participation in the course and will continue to support the participants in implementing their climate change adaptation action plans and supporting future courses in the region.
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24 |
Coral Triangle
Countries Cooperate in Developing a Regional Marine Protected
Area Network. More than 40 government representatives, technical experts and other stakeholders attended a regional forum in Phuket, Thailand from June 17-20, 2010 with the objective of creating a region-wide Marine Protected Area (MPA) system in the Coral Triangle (CT) region. During the three-day event, experts and country representatives reviewed the status and lessons learned from existing MPAs within the six CT countries – Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste. These lessons were used to develop strategies on how national systems can be linked within a regional network ensuring protection of the most critical marine ecosystems across the Coral Triangle. Representatives then designed national MPA networks and drafted the objectives of a region-wide CTI MPA network, both of which will be presented for review and adoption by the six Coral Triangle countries. The event was facilitated and organized by the USAID’s US CTI Support Program. |
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| 23 |
U.S. Commerce Secretary Highlights U.S., Indonesia and Coral
Triangle Initiative Efforts to Prevent Illegal Fishing. This week (May 28, 20100) in Indonesia, U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Gary Locke, together with scientists and experts from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), visited Muara Baru, a commercial fishing port in North Jakarta to oversee signing of the first-ever U.S.-Indonesia ocean exploration agreement and to address joint efforts to prevent illegal and unregulated fishing. Through the US Coral Triangle Initiative Support Program and other efforts, NOAA, USAID and partners are working together with Indonesia and the countries of the Coral Triangle to strengthen enforcement and sustainable management of fisheries and conservation of the marine environment and coral reefs. These “extraordinary natural resources,” said Locke, “sustain the lives of hundreds of millions of people living in this region and benefit many millions more worldwide. The health of the environment and health of the economy go hand-in-hand, and the United States is committed to actively partnering with the Republic of Indonesia on issues of vast importance to our two nations, Southeast Asia, and the planet itself.” |
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| 22 |
Philippine
Coastal Municipality Launches Monitoring Program to Reduce
Overfishing. The US CTI Support Program, in collaboration with the municipality of San Juan in Batangas, Philippines, has launched a community-based monitoring program to prevent overfishing of Clupeids (sardines) and Engraulids (anchovies) in the town’s coastal territory. The monitoring program includes a review of local laws on overfishing and the development of a fish cage facility to demonstrate how fingerlings that are caught by local fishermen can continue to grow into more mature and commercially-viable sizes. The monitoring program was implemented in response to the high amount of fish fry caught in the municipality of San Juan, which result in overfishing of the two species within the Verde Island Passage. The San Juan municipality coastline and surrounding waters have one of the highest concentrations of marine species in the world. |
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21 |
USAID Prepares “Wildlife
Wardens” to Protect Malaysian Marine Park. On March 18-20, 2010, community leaders from 20 villages at the proposed Tun Mustapha Marine Park in Sabah, Malaysia completed a program to strengthen marine wildlife protection, specifically for sea turtles. The leaders dubbed honorary “wildlife wardens” came from three districts in the park including Kudat-Banggi, Kota Marudu and Pitas, as well as Pulau Tigabu, a small island at the eastern tip of the park. Wardens from Kampung (village) Berungus in Pitas District were also commended during the event for their successful initiative in protecting sea turtles by convincing local fishermen to stop destructive fishing methods and switch to using more environment- and turtle-friendly fishing gear. The proposed Tun Mustapha Marine Park covers roughly one million hectares. It is an important habitat for marine turtles and coral reef but is threatened by overfishing, destructive fishing and uncontrolled coastal development. The training was organized by WWF-Malaysia and the Sabah Wildlife Department and supported by USAID’s US Coral Triangle Support Partnership, a mechanism of the US CTI Support Program. |
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| January-March 2010 |
| 20 |
Timor-Leste
Government Turns Learning Into Action to Prevent Illegal
Fishing Activities. The Timor-Leste government has launched an initiative to strengthen prevention of illegal, un-reported and un-regulated fishing activities at the Nino Konis Santana (NKS) National Park. The first government-led activity was an awareness campaign on March 10-12, 2010, to familiarize fishing villages with existing fisheries laws and regulations. The campaign, attended by 70 local fishermen, village heads, and community police officers further strengthened the government’s capacity to implement outreach campaigns and improved community awareness on the laws covering the use of appropriate fishing gear, the consequences of catching protected species and the maximum allowed amount of by-catch for each fisherman, among others. The campaign builds on the catalytic public outreach efforts jointly organized by the Timor-Leste government and the US CTI Support Program, through USAID’s Coral Triangle Support Partnership (CTSP), from January to February 2010. Implementing fisheries laws at the NKS is crucial in protecting and sustaining the park’s 55,600 hectares of sea that includes extensive coral reefs. |
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19 |
Marine Resources
Outreach Campaign Launched in Timor-Leste Coastal Communities. From February 23-March 3, 2010, the Coral Triangle Support Partnership (CTSP), a US CTI Support Program mechanism, conducted a multi-media outreach campaign to launch its village mobilization program throughout Nino Konis Santana (NKS) National Park. CTSP worked with the National Ministries of Agriculture and Environment as well as provincial and local district officers and reached out to more than 900 people in six villages raising awareness and increasing engagement on marine resource issues. These outreach activities contribute to the US CTI Support Program’s strategic plan to establish a marine protected area at the NKS and make it a model for the Timor-Leste national coastal zone management program. The NKS encompasses 68,000 hectares of land and 55,600 hectares of sea including extensive coral reefs and one of the largest remaining intact examples of tropical lowland and coastal monsoon rainforest in the region. |
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| 18 |
Mangrove Nursery Established to Sustain Conservation Hotspot in Philippines. On February 16, 2010, the municipal government in Calatagan, Philippines, with the assistance of the US Coral Triangle Initiative Support Program, established a 1,020 square-meter nursery mangrove to support conservation efforts in the Verde Island Passage. The nursery will hold 16,000 mangrove seedlings and support strategic rehabilitation of 50 hectares of mangrove forests in Batangas Province. The Batangas coastline is directly adjacent to the Passage, a narrow corridor of coral-filled waters in the Philippines which is considered to have one of the highest concentrations of marine species in the world. Healthy mangrove forests will support the marine ecosystem in the Passage and serve as a climate change adaptation strategy for coastal communities in the area. The nursery was established through the efforts of the Calatagan local government with technical and financial support from USAID’s Coral Triangle Support Partnership (CTSP) through Conservation International (CI). |
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17 |
Four Public-Private
Partnerships Signed at First CTI Business Summit. On January 20, 2010, in Manila, Philippines, the private sector demonstrated its commitment to the Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) by signing four agreements at the CTI Business Summit. These agreements include commitments to improve sustainable fisheries through technology, branding, and reduction of by-catch using techniques such as circle hooks. President Gloria Arroyo announced in the opening session that the Philippines is mainstreaming the use of circle hooks which builds upon a longstanding program with USAID, NOAA and World Wildlife Fund for Nature to expand their use. Through assistance from the US CTI Support Program, delegates from all six governments of the Coral Triangle countries engaged representatives from business and industry to identify opportunities to partner with the private sector and prepared private sector engagement action plans to develop additional partnerships to meet goals for sustainable marine and coastal resources. |
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| October-December 2009 |
| 16 |
Coral
Triangle Highlighted During Copenhagen Climate Change Talks. More than 150 participants from 39 countries, including scientists and policy makers, attended The Oceans Day on December 14, held in conjunction with the UNFCCC framework discussions in Copenhagen, to highlight the direct link between climate change and the health of the oceans. Representatives from the Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI), Dr. Fadel Muhammad, the Indonesia Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, and Mr. Gordon Darcy Lilo, Solomon Islands Minister of Environment, Conservation and Meteorology, participated on a panel to stress the important role oceans play in global climate change. Dr. Muhammad requested “all oceans partners in the world to work together saving our marine resources as well as safeguarding the communities and local people in the coasts and small islands”. Dr. Muhammad, the new Chair of CTI Council of Ministers, announced that the Regional Secretariat of CTI will be located in Manado, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. |
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15 |
Indonesian
Local Governments Promote Coastal Resources Management. Representatives from more than twenty Indonesian coastal districts across Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia met from December 14-16, 2009, to draft the “Wakatobi Commitment” – a ground breaking proposal that promotes the inclusion of coastal resources management as a basic municipal service. Inspired by his participation in the US CTI Support Program’s Regional Exchange in June 2009 in the Philippines, Mr. Hugua, the Regent of Wakatobi, hosted the symposium on Coastal and Marine Resources Management: A National Dialog for Local Government Leaders. The draft Wakatobi Commitment, a key result from the symposium, will be presented formally to the full national association of mayors and regents of Southeast Sulawesi in early 2010 when it is anticipated to be universally approved and adopted. |
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| 14 |
Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines Launch Joint Plans to Protect
the Sulu-Sulawesi Marine Eco-Region. With the assistance of USAID’s Coral Triangle Support Partnership and the Philippines Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Governments of the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia launched three actions plans at the East Asian Seas Congress on November 24, 2009, in Manila. These plans will strengthen marine protected area management, improve sustainable fisheries and protect threatened species across the vast Sulu-Sulawesi Marine Eco-Region (SSME). The eco-region covers 950,000 square kilometers of open sea, straddles Philippine, Indonesian and Malaysian territories and is considered the apex of the Coral Triangle region. |
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13 |
Indonesia
to be Location of Permanent CTI Regional Secretariat. The Solomon Islands Minister for Environment, Conservation and Meteorology Gordon Darcy Lilo, opened the 2nd Ministerial Meeting of the Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) held in Gizo, Solomon Islands, on November 19, 2009, by asking the delegates, "How do we organize towards the future? What needs to be done immediately?" The Ministers of the six Coral Triangle countries (CT6) quickly reached a consensus to locate the CTI Regional Permanent Secretariat in Indonesia. Indonesia announced its commitment to mobilize resources for physical infrastructure and support services in hosting the secretariat, including its transition from interim to permanent secretariat. The Secretariat, to be headed by an Executive Director and governed by a charter, will be an independent entity reporting directly to the CTI Senior Officials. The US CTI Support Program provided technical assistance in drafting terms of reference for the Permanent Secretariat. |
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| 12 |
Asian
Industry and Government Stakeholders Develop Roadmap to
Address Live Reef Fish Trade. The U.S. Department of State, a partner in the U.S. Coral Triangle Initiative Support Program, sponsored the first of several workshops on the East Asia-Pacific live reef food fish trade in Hong Kong November 10-12, 2009, providing stakeholders a platform to address this critical trade issue, which has implications for livelihoods and food security as well as the potential to devastate the region’s coral reef and marine ecosystems. Government and industry participants from Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia and Papua New Guinea, representatives from the live reef food fish markets in Hong Kong, the US State Department, NOAA Fisheries, and academic institutions outlined a set of priorities for future action. |
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| 11 |
Coral Triangle
Atlas Website Provides Real-Time Information for Decision
Makers. On October 30, 2009, the US Support Program for The Coral Triangle launched the Coral Triangle Atlas (CT Atlas) website, an online Geographic Information System (GIS) database, with the assistance of the Coral Triangle Support Partnership (CTSP) and its partners, IUCN and WorldFish-ReefBase. For the first time users will be able to access spatial data at a local and regional scale that can be used by decision-makers across the Coral Triangle region. To access the website visit: http://ctatlas.reefbase.org |
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10 |
Timor-Leste Learns How to Manage Marine Resources from its Indonesian Neighbor. On October 21-30, 2009, a group of government representatives and community leaders from Timor-Leste visited some of the most successful marine protected area (MPA) sites in Indonesia, the Raja Ampat Islands, to see first-hand how MPAs can be effectively designed and managed. Timor-Leste is developing an MPA management program, with a focus on the role of the local community and co-management of these areas with the government. This cross-site visit, sponsored by USAID’s Coral Triangle Support Partnership (CTSP), is part of an integrated strategy to strengthen MPA networks across the Coral Triangle region. |
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9 |
CTI Regional Governance
Structure Confirmed. On October 20-22, 2009, in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, senior officials from the six Coral Triangle countries adopted the Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) regional governance structure, thereby confirming how the countries will collectively preserve and manage the world's epicenter of marine biodiversity. At the USAID-supported working group meeting, the officials determined the process for establishing a permanent secretariat. The six countries also agreed to issue a common CTI position elevating ocean and coastal concerns at the international treaty negotiations on climate change this December in Copenhagen. |
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| July-September 2009 |
| 8 |
Stakeholders Tackle the Live Reef Fish Industry in the Philippines. On September 15, 2009, the Municipal government of Taytay, Philippines, hosted government officials, traders, and fishers to address illegal fishing, weak permitting systems, and unmanaged protected areas as they relate to the live reef fish (LRF) industry. This was the first step towards developing a comprehensive municipal ordinance on LRF management that will support sustainable fisheries. The World Wildlife Fund, through the Coral Triangle Support Partnership (CTSP) supported the workshop with assistance from the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development. |
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7 |
Indonesia Unveils Geographic Priority Areas to Manage Marine Resources. On September 4, 2009, the Indonesia Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (MMAF) Directorate General for Marine, Coastal and Small Islands presented the priority areas that will provide the foundation for the development of Indonesia's National Marine Protected Area (MPA) Network Strategy. This strategy will be linked to fisheries management and policy development in Indonesia. Under the U.S. Coral Triangle Initiative Support Program, the Coral Triangle Support Partnership (CTSP) supported the process used to develop these priority areas which will guide CTSP field activities in Indonesia. |
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| 6 |
The
Philippines Improves Tools to Measure Management Effectiveness
of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs)On September 1, 2009,
the technical working group that supports the Philippines
CTI National Coordination Committee met to revise the tools used to measure effectiveness of MPAs.
The modified tools will be used in at least six priority marine conservation areas,
including Verde Island Passage, Palawan, and Tawi-tawi.
Assessing the status and condition of the MPAs is the first step in
providing a baseline for monitoring achievement of targets presented in
the CTI National Plan of Action. The Coral Triangle Support Partnership (CTSP) will continue to support this process under
the U.S. CTI Support Program. |
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Philippine
Government Officials Tackle Destructive Live Reef Fish
Trade Practices
Philippine Government officials met with U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines Kristie Kenney and industry representatives in Palawan on August 24, 2009, to address national concerns over the live reef fish trade. The demand for live fish exports has seriously depleted fish stocks and degraded the sensitive coral habitats throughout the Philippines. The World Wildlife Fund, an implementing partner of the US Coral Triangle Initiative Support Program, facilitated the discussions on board the Research Vessel Navorca to increase engagement between local officials and the Palawan Live Fish Traders Association to advance policy and institutional arrangements that would effectively govern the industry.
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| April-June 2009 |
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USAID
Launches Regional Exchange Program to Strengthen Ecosystem-based
Fisheries Management across the Coral Triangle
Twenty-five representatives from the six Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) countries participated in a regional exchange program from June 27 to July 3, 2009 in Cebu, Philippines, to learn about and strengthen local government capacity for managing ecosystem-based fisheries and marine protected areas. The participating officials and professionals from Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Timor Leste and Solomon Islands also visited neighboring Bohol Island where municipalities have successfully implemented coastal resource management programs. Each CTI country team then formulated action plans and strategies to implement in support of their respective CTI National Plans of Action. The exchange was conducted by USAID’s Support to CTI in collaboration with the Government of the Philippines and USAID’s Fisheries Improved for Sustainable Harvest (FISH) Program.
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Indonesian
Students Learn Value of Coral Reefs
As part of the World Ocean Conference held May 11-15, 2009, in Manado, Indonesia, more than 2,000 enthusiastic school children from across North Sulawesi, Indonesia, visited an exhibition sponsored by the US Support Program for the Coral Triangle Initiative to teach the value of coral reefs and identify actions young people can take in their communities to protect these resources. USAID volunteers helped children color in pictures of reef fish and coral while older students took quizzes to test their knowledge of the unique characteristics of the Coral Triangle. The activities were so popular that parents and teachers asked for additional materials to repeat the activities in their communities. These materials have been made available for teachers and children on the US CTI Program Website at
www.uscti.org.
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Additional
$1.6 Million Support to Coral Triangle Initiative Announced
. In the May 12 press conference presided by Ambassador Cameron Hume during
the Word Ocean Conference and CTI Summit in Manado, US Assistant Under
Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere Mary Glackin and USAID Mission
Director Walter North jointly announced an additional pledge of $1.6 million to support
CTI regional and national activities, starting with Indonesia.
The 5-year USAID-NOAA partnership managed by the RDMA under
USCTI Program will increase the management capacities of
Coral Triangle governments and stakeholders to conserve and sustain the region’s
valuable coastal and marine resources by providing scientific information, training,
technical assistance, learning exchanges and other tools in the areas of fisheries management,
environmental law enforcement, adaptation to climate change, and marine protected areas networks.
This new funding builds on the existing commitment of $40 million by the US government to strengthen
local governance, protect livelihoods, promote eco-tourism, and protect reefs and mangroves in order
to lessen storm damage to coastal communities. Photo attached: Boundary outlining the Coral Triangle,
based on the biodiversity in the ocean waters. Credit: The Nature Conservancy
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Leaders of
Six Countries Sign Summit Declaration Launching the Coral
Triangle Initiative. On May 15, 2009, the leaders of Indonesia,
Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands,
and Timor Leste met at a six-country summit in Manado,
Indonesia and signed the declaration launching the Coral Triangle Initiative and endorsed
its Regional Plan of Action. This event marks the culmination of
a process launched by Indonesian President Yudhoyono in 2007 and supported by USAID
to bring the six countries together to preserve the threatened marine, coastal,
and small island ecosystems of the Coral Triangle region. Yudhoyon stated,
“Our six countries have jointly developed a Regional Plan of Action,
the boldest and most ambitious marine action plan ever agreed by governments.
This will transform the way we manage our marine and coastal resources, and reshape our future.
” USAID and its partners are now working with the Coral Triangle Countries to support
the development and implementation of their Regional and National Plans of Action. Photo
attached: Leaders of the Solomon Islands, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Papua New Guinea,
and Timor Leste stand committed to protect the threatened resources in their coastal and
marine waters. Photo credit: Jakarta Post.
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