SCMP has an article today about the Coral Triangle. This isn’t some sort of Twilight Zone-type place like the Bermuda Triangle – an area of sea where coral mysteriously disappears, never to be seen again. In fact the aim of the World Oceans Conference, a meeting of 70 nations that starts today in Manado, is to ensure that coral doesn’t disappear at all.
The Coral Triangle they are referring stretches across 6 nations between the Indian and Pacific Oceans, specifically Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, East Timor (shouldn’t that be Timor-Leste?), Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.
Despite looking like the sort of triangle that I used to draw before I discovered the benefits of rulers, it is apparently home to more than half the world’s coral reefs, three-quarters of its coral species and key stocks of fish.
Unfortunately the Coral Triangle is beset by a set of challenges including overfishing and climate change. Apparently around 120 million people living in the Coral Triangle depend on the sea for their livelihoods which puts tremendous strain on resources. Protecting the area is being touted as a key target of the World Oceans Conference.
There are plans afoot to introduce a marine protected area around Nusa Lembongan, and part of the intention is to get the support of the local community to look after their environment. If the initiative is successful, hopefully other areas will be able to replicate this.
The SCMP story is here, although you need to be a subscriber to read it.
