Malaysia wants CTI be implemented based on national priorities

Adianto P. Simamora ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Manado   |  Fri, 05/15/2009 4:12 PM  |  World Ocean Conference

Malaysian Prime Minister Mohd Najib Tun Abdul Razak insisted that implementation of coral triangle projects should be based on national priorities and in line with national policies of each six member countries.

He said that the coral projects should also integrate with role of local and indigenous communities living in the area.

“We, too, must recognize role of local and indigenous communities in this area and integrate their traditional, scientific, technical and technological knowledge in this project,” he told the Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) summit in Manado, North Sulawesi on Friday.

“This is to ensure relevancy of project on ground," he added.

He said that the CTI was important as it complements and enriches national and regional efforts in managing the world’s richest marine biodiversity area though it covers approximately only two percent of the world’s ocean.

The coral triangle is home to 76 percent of the world's coral species and 37 percent of the reef fish species in the world, and straddles 75,000 square kilometers of the Indian and Pacific oceans.

The CTI links six countries of Indonesia, the Phillipines, Malaysia, Timor Leste, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.
 

However, the “Amazon of Seas” is now under increasing pressure from range of threats including sea level rise and increase level of acidity triggered by the climate change.

The World Ocean Conference (WOC) acknowledged roles of ocean in climate change.

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