“Funding remains a challenge in implementing sustainable resource management, prompting us to innovate,” said Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, Sakti Wahyu Trenggono.
Speaking at a media gathering in Jakarta on Thursday to mark the 16th anniversary of the Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries, and Food Security (CTI-CFF) and Coral Triangle Day 2025, Trenggono unveiled the Indonesia Coral Reef Bond Project.
He noted that the project is a marine conservation financing instrument not sourced from government debt. It is supported by the World Bank and aligned with conservation effectiveness standards set by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Another scheme, the Debt-for-Nature Swap under the Tropical Forest and Coral Reef Conservation Act, enables Indonesia to redirect portions of its debt toward funding conservation initiatives.
Trenggono emphasized that these financial mechanisms are intended to help Indonesia better manage conservation zones and support the CTI-CFF’s broader goal of balancing environmental sustainability with community welfare.
He also underlined that innovative financing is key to advancing inclusive, participatory, and transparent marine conservation efforts across the Coral Triangle—an ecologically rich region that spans the waters of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Timor-Leste, Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands.
At a high-level meeting in Indonesia in 2009, these nations established the CTI-CFF to ensure the long-term sustainability of this marine area, which is home to over 600 coral species, 2,000 species of reef fish, and numerous endangered marine animals.
Trenggono called on CTI-CFF member countries to make Coral Triangle Day 2025 a moment of renewed commitment to protecting the region, which he described as ecologically and economically vital to coastal communities.
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Translator: Muhammad H, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Anton Santoso
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