CTI-SEA to revive Berau Marine Conservation Area

CTI stakeholders—National Coordination Committee (NCC)—have agreed and decided to revive the interest of the local government in the Berau Marine Conservation Area in the recently held Regional Inception Workshop on 18-19 October 2012 at the Carcadin Hotel in Bandung, Indonesia.

The Regional Inception Workshop brought together the focal persons and members of the NCC from Indonesia, Malaysia, and Philippines. Representatives of development partners, non-government organizations, and concerned government agencies were likewise invited to the workshop to garner support for the Technical Assistance and provide inputs on the proposed priority activities that will feed into the preparation of a coherent framework or project work plan for 2013.

The stakeholders were in agreement on the importance of Berau in its regional role in maintaining the integrity of the network of marine protected areas (MPAs) in Sulu-Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion (SSME) and for furthering coastal and marine resources management efforts between among Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. It was also acknowledge that it plays a critical role in the biodiversity of marine ecosystem and protection of green turtles in the transboundary regions of Balabac (in the Philippines), Sandakan (in Malaysia), and Bureau District (in Indonesia).

ADB, through the regional technical assistance (RETA), and Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction (JFPR), US Coral Triangle Support Partnership (USCTSP), the Marine Governance Project (MPAG) of United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and GITZ, will leverage each other’s resources to revitalize the Berau Marine Conservation Area.

Meanwhile, Indonesia NCC Chair, Viktor Nikijulu, mentioned the active participation of the Government of Indonesia in carrying out projects towards the sustainable management of marine and coastal resources with a view of reducing poverty.

 

See also:

Regional State of the Coral Triangle Report