"All relevant parties in this conference should work together to reach an agreement on sustainable coral reef management," the vice president noted in his opening address here on Friday.
He remarked that all participating countries will discuss their plan of action in their effort to save the coral reef ecosystem and ways to promote sustainable management of coral reefs.
The Indonesian vice president reiterated that coral reefs were part of the worlds ocean ecosystem with rich biodiversity, and therefore, they should be protected in a sustainable manner.
"Indonesias coral reefs are home to schools of fish species and other marine biota of various types that have to be protected for the welfare of all people in this country," Boediono affirmed.
He pointed out that the Indonesian waters have a rich variety of reefs, including fringing reefs, barrier reefs, and patch reefs that need to be well protected.
According to the vice president, around 60 million people of Indonesia live along the coastline and entirely depend on the coral reefs for their livelihood.
"With such a condition, it is understood that Indonesia is vulnerable to the degradation of the coral reefs on which it is highly dependent," the vice president emphasized.
Therefore, he said that as part of Indonesias commitment to the coral triangle initiative, the country in 2010 declared part of its territorial waters as marine resources conservation areas. (*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2014
