North Sumatra To Host World Coral Reef Conference In 2014

Manado, N Sulawesi, June 5 (Antara) - North Sulawesi will host World Coral Reef Conference next year, coinciding with the fifth anniversary of World Ocean Conference and Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI). The conference will be participated in by maritime affairs ministers and high ranking officials from various countries, Siswa Rachmat Mokodongan, a spokesman of the North Sulawesi provincial administration, said here on Tuesday. The CTI programs aim to sustain significantly marine and coastal resources in six countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste. The Coral Triangle region is one of the most biologically diverse areas, home to more than 76 percent of all known coral species, 53 percent of the world`s coral reefs, and more than 37 percent of coral reef fish species. Indonesia introduced the CTI programme during the APEC Summit in Sydney, Australia, in 2007, and the CTI was recognized in the APEC Declaration. After the APEC Summit, the country organized the World Ocean Conference in Manado in 2009, where the six CTI countries took part in this milestone event for the CTI. The meeting issued Manado Declaration which became the basis for establishing a regional mechanism for Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries, and Food Security - known as CTI CFF.