NORTH SULAWESI'S ENVIRONMENTAL OFFICE PLANTS 15,000 MANGROVE TREES

Manado, North Sulawesi Province, April 28 (ANTARA) - The North Sulawesi environmental management office (BPLH) has planted 15,000 seedlings of mangrove on a 1.5 hectare plot of lang at Bailang beach, Manado, since early 2009.

The mangrove tree planting was part of the province's responsibility toward the environmental preservation, the province's BPLK Chief FB Tamon, said here on Tuesday.

Mangrove forest in Manado's coastal area had been degraded as local fishermen had cut them for construction of small piers, he said.

Mangroves along the coasts of Indonesia are vital for global climate changes and fishing.

Manado will host a World Ocean Conference(WOC) and Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) Summit to be held May 11-15, 2009.
About 2,900 participants from 121 countries are expected to take part in the WOC, the CTI Summit, and associated events.

The WOC on May 11-14 which aims to build a commitment for sustainable management of marine resources will be themed "Climate Change Impacts on Oceans and The Role of Oceans in Climate Change".

On May 15, six countries grouped in CT-6 (Coral Triangle-6) will hold the Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) Summit also in Manado.
Leaders of the CT-6 member countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Solomon Islands, and Timor Leste) are expected to issue a Regional Action Plan. Australia and the United States will attend the Summit as observers.
***3***