Indonesia Celebrates Coral Triangle Day With Conservation Events

Jakarta Globe, June 7, 2013

Coves and islets in Raja Ampat. (AFP Photo)

The Indonesian government hopes to raise awareness about the importance of marine resources this month by hosting a number of events in celebration of Coral Triangle Day on Sunday.

The Marine and Fishery Ministry, in a press release obtained in Jakarta on Friday, said that the celebrations were part of more than 50 international events to mark the day.

The Coral Triangle is believed to be home to 76 percent of the world’s coral and 37 percent of world’s fish. The area, comprised of six countries, provides the livelihood for more than 120 million people.

Indonesia, along with Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, the Solomon Islands and Timor Leste, are members of the Coral Triangle Initiative on coral reefs, fisheries and food security.

The first event, a coral rehabilitation, featured the release of sea turtles and the planting of 5,000 mangrove seedlings in Minahasa, North Sulawesi, on Friday.

On Saturday, Bali will host a month-long photography exhibition on the coral triangle and the world’s oceans, jointly organized by the Coral Triangle Center, Body Shop Indonesia and the Marine Foundation.

Later that evening, Lombok’s Bintaro beach, located in Ampenan, will screen a film on corals and present a puppet show to raise awareness on the need to mitigate climate change and the destruction of coastal areas.

Marine and Fishery Minister Sharif Cicip Sutardjo and the head of the interim regional secretariat of the Coral Triangle Initiative will lead a beach cleanup in Lombok’s Bintaro and Loang Balok between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m.

Also on Sunday, the Coral Triangle Center will hold an open house for children between nine and 15 years old in Sanur, Bali, to teach them about maritime environments through participatory games.