The two-week marine survey conducted by CI scientists and local partners led to the discovery of eight potential new fish and coral species in the waters surrounding Bali island.
"There was a tremendous variety of habitats, surprisingly high levels of diversity and the coral reefs appeared to be in an active stage of recovery from bleaching, destructive fishing and crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks in the 1990`s," said Dr. Mark Erdmann, senior adviser for the CI Indonesia marine program in a CI press release on May 14, 2011.
Compared to 12 years ago, there has been an increase in healthy coral reef cover in the area surveyed and therefore it needs serious protection and management, to complete the revitalization, according to Acting Executive Director for CI-Indonesia Ketut Sarjana Putra.
The CI team has recommended among other things immediate protection considering the important these Marine Protected Areas to improve economic returns from marine tourism, provide food security and ensure the sustainability of small-scale artisanal fisheries.
The survey has documented among other things two types of cardinalfish, two varieties of dottybacks, a garden eel, a sand perch, a fang blenny, a new species of goby and a previously unknown Euphyllia bubble coral.
A total of 953 species of reef fish and 397 species of coral in the waters off the coast of Bali have been documented in the latest survey and a previous survey conducted by CI and partners for the Bali government in November of 2008.
Indonesia is the global center of marine biodiversity with the most diverse marine ecosystems in the world, more than 500 species of coral, and at least 3,000 species of fish.
Funding for the scientific survey was provided by USAID Indonesia as part of Coral Triangle Support Partnership (CTSP).
The Coral Triangle covers 5.7 million square kilometers of ocean waters and is a massive region containing 75 percent of the world`s coral species shared by Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands, and Timor-Leste.
The Coral Triangle, known as the "Amazon of the Seas", is one of the world`s most diverse and threatened marine ecosystems -, encompasses ocean areas in the six countries in Southeast Asia and the Pacific.
Its resources are critical for the economic and food security of an estimated 120 million people. These resources are at immediate risk from a range of factors, including the impacts of climate change and unsustainable fishing methods.
In 2000, Coral Triangle Center (CTC) was established in Bali as an independent regional training and learning center for marine conservation.
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono suggested the establishment of Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) on the sidelines of the December 2007 Bali United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) talks.
The Heads of State from the six Coral Triangle countries formally endorsed the implementation of the CTI Regional Plan of Action at the CTI Summit in Manado, Indonesia, in May 2009, coinciding with the World Ocean Conference (WOC).
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) recently announced that it will help improve management of the Coral Triangle`s rich resources and to provide job alternatives for people living in the coastal communities.
ADB has approved assistance of around $12 million for the Coastal and Marine Resources Management Project. It includes a $1 million grant from ADB`s concessional Technical Assistance Special Fund, and $11.2 million in co-financing from the Global Environment Facility (GEF).
The governments of Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines will provide $3 million in non-cash contributions, according to the Manila-based ADB in a press statement on May 20, 2011.
"The project aims to strengthen national and local institutions for sustainable coastal and marine ecosystem management and to establish support mechanisms for sustainable livelihoods in coastal communities," said Kunio Senga, Director General of ADB`s South East Asia Department.
Assessments of the Coral Triangle show that up to 88% of reefs are under threat from harmful human activities, resulting in major losses for the fishing and tourism industries.
The project, which is targeted at Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines, will strengthen management of marine resources by funding activities that build up the capacity of oversight institutions.
It will also help to develop alternative livelihoods for fishing and coastal communities to help reduce activities that harm the environment.
It complements ongoing projects worth $15.05 million, cofinanced by ADB and GEF, to assist Papua New Guinea (PNG), Solomon Islands and Timor Leste in fulfilling their Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) objectives, as well as engage Fiji and Vanuatu in these efforts.
The implementing agencies for the project, which is due for completion in June 2015, are the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries of Indonesia; National Oceanography Directorate-Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation of Malaysia; and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources of the Philippines.
The governing Council of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), to which the United States is the largest single donor, has approved a four-year, $63 million grant for an umbrella program in support of the CTI.
The US is supporting the CTI with a $40 million, five-year program implemented among other things by a consortium of nongovernmental organizations, including the World Wildlife Fund, Conservation International, and The Nature Conservancy.
A number of regents and mayors from the CTI member countries held a four-day meeting at Wakatobi, Southeast Sulawesi province, on May 16-19, 2011, to discuss discuss a wide range of issues including food security, global climate change, energy scarcity, and environmental issues.
Melchor F Nacario, chairman of the Philippine district heads and mayors association in the meeting reminded that coral reefs in the central part of the world`s coral reef triangle are a source of food that can feed millions or even billions of human beings and therefore they must be protected from damage.
He urged district chiefs and mayors as policy-makers at local government level to maintain and preserve the beautiful coral reefs in their respective jurisdictions so that they remain a sustainable source.
"The safety of coastal regions that hold the potential for the welfare of millions and even billions of people, is highly dependent on the policies of district chiefs and mayors because they are the decision makers at the local level," Nacario said. (*)
Reporter: Fardah
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
