Coral Triangle Center

Protecting the Most Diverse Reefs on Earth

The Coral Triangle
The importance of coral reefs
Threats to coral reefs
Establishing Marine Protected Areas
The Conservancy’s Coral Triangle Center
On-site conservation
Science, training and communications
Policy and financing

The Coral Triangle

Spanning eastern Indonesia, parts of Malaysia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Timor Leste and the Solomon Islands (see the map), the Coral Triangle is the global center of marine biodiversity and one of the world’s top priorities for marine conservation. This extraordinary expanse of ocean covers an area of 2.3 million square miles (5.7 million km2), the equivalent to half of the entire United States. It is home to over 600 reef-building coral species, or 75% of all species known to science, and more than 3,000 species of reef fish. Over 150 million people live within the Coral Triangle, of which an estimated 2.25 million fishers are dependant on marine resources for their livelihoods. Applying the latest science, The Nature Conservancy is working with a range of partners to protect the coastal and marine ecosystems of this vast area by addressing key threats, such as over-fishing, destructive fishing, and mass coral bleaching.

The importance of coral reefs

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Threats to coral reefs
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In the landmark report ‘Reefs at Risk in Southeast Asia’, the World Resources Institute estimates that 88% of Southeast Asia’s reefs are threatened. Among the various types of threats, over-fishing and destructive fishing are the most pervasive. Another key threat is the increased frequency of mass coral bleaching events. We only begin to understand the importance of this phenomenon, which is related to climate change.

Over-fishing means that fishers extract more fish than nature can produce over the long term. Besides decreasing the profitability and long-term prospects of the fisheries sector, over-fishing results in the extirpation of highly-valued species such as grouper and Napoleon wrasse. Fisheries experts from Indonesia find that the large majority of Indonesia’s fisheries are over- or fully exploited, which means that any expansion of the fishing fleet is ill-advised. Sadly, over-fishing is exacerbated by perverse subsidies that enable the fishing sector to continue fishing already over-exploited stocks.

Destructive fishing not only contributes to over-fishing, it also destroys the habitat on which exploited fish depend. Blast fishing, either with home-made or industrial explosives, is perhaps the best known example of destructive fishing. Other examples are bottom trawling, fishing with poisons, and fishing with certain kinds of fish traps. The loss of income due to blast fishing in Indonesia over the last 25 years is approximately US$3.8 billion. Global warming is already making a significant impact on marine biodiversity and the lives of those who depend on the reefs for income. A major threat to coral reefs comes from the periodic mass bleaching of corals caused by increased temperatures in the seas. In the 1998 El Nino weather event, 75% of reefs worldwide bleached and 16% died. Coral bleaching is predicted to become an annual event within 25-50 years.

Establishing Marine Protected Areas

To address threats to coral reefs in the Coral Triangle, the Conservancy is working to establish networks of marine protected areas (MPAs). MPAs are carefully selected areas where human development and exploitation of natural resources are regulated to protect species and habitats. By providing refugia for exploited fish stocks, MPAs provide benefits for commercial fisheries. Healthy fish stocks in MPAs replenish surrounding fishing grounds with eggs, larvae, and adult fish, and MPAs serve as basis for ecotourism and other livelihoods for local communities. MPAs work to protect functioning ecosystems, bringing benefits both inside and beyond their boundaries to countries, regions, businesses, and people.

Designing resilient networks of MPAs

The Conservancy’s work to design networks of MPAs is based on the latest scientific principles of resilience, which means that we focus our efforts on reefs that are most likely to survive threats. Our approach to resilience is based on the following four components:
1) Protecting a representative range of habitat types, including critical habitats of target species, and replicating these at multiple locations to spread the risk of total loss of any one type of reef.
2) Protecting coral communities that resist bleaching. For example, coral reefs located where vertical mixing cools the heated surface waters may be less prone to thermal bleaching as sea temperatures rise. These refugia provide secure sources of larvae that replenish damaged areas –a rock-solid investment similar to blue-chip fixed income funds.
3) Understanding coral reef connectivity in order to create MPAs that are linked by ocean currents, larval dispersal patterns, and species movements.
4) Increasing the effectiveness of management to respond to direct threats, especially over-fishing and destructive fishing. Implementation of no-take areas is a critical component in this respect. The healthier the reefs, the more likely they will be to bounce back after a catastrophic event.

The Conservancy’s Coral Triangle Center
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Established in 2000 and based in Bali, the Conservancy’s Coral Triangle Center (CTC) is uniquely positioned to address threats to the world’s most biodiverse seas and help present and future generations enjoy their benefits. The Center’s mission is to establish resilient networks of MPAs designed to survive, managed to last, and connected like strings of pearls across the Coral Triangle. CTC fulfills its mission by a three-pronged approach: on-site conservation, technical support (i.e., science, training and communications) and policy. These three components support and inform each other: our on-site conservation work provides an opportunity to field-test new strategies, and through our communications program we disseminate lessons learned to managers of other MPAs. We leverage our on-site experience to influence policies on MPAs and fisheries management across Indonesia and Southeast Asia. Our training program helps build a skilled workforce of MPA managers and technicians.

On-site conservation

Our on-site work in Indonesia focuses on three ecoregions in Indonesia (Papua, the Lesser Sundas, the Sulawesi Seas), one ecoregion in Papua New Guinea (the Bismarck Sea), and two ecoregions that cross national boundaries: Northeast Borneo (shared by Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines) and the Solomon Archipelago (shared by Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands). Whereas we prioritized these ecoregions because of their spectacular reef diversity, we take a comprehensive approach to conservation at each of the sites where we work. Our action sites include:

Komodo National Park. The park is home to an amazing 1,000 species of fish, 260 species of reef-building corals, 70 species of sponges, 17 whale and dolphin species, two species of sea turtles, and the famous Komodo dragon. Since the Conservancy first began working with local communities and the Park Authority to strengthen surveillance, blast fishing in Komodo has been eliminated and live coral cover has increased by 60%. The Conservancy helped develop a 25-year park management plan, and we are implementing a joint venture with an Indonesian partner to finance Park management by promoting ecotourism. We also support monitoring and awareness programs, and we developed innovative mechanisms to involve local communities in planning and implementation of Park management.

Wakatobi National Park. Wakatobi is the largest marine national park in Indonesia and one of the country’s highest priorities for marine conservation. In Wakatobi, The Conservancy is working in partnership with WWF Indonesia to support the Park authority with the drafting of its long-term management plan and its zoning plan. Furthermore, the partnership has strengthened the Park’s surveillance system, and the partnership has conducted surveys among local communities to solicit inputs for management and to explore opportunities for involvement of local communities in planning and implementation of Park management. Wakatobi’s conservation program further includes scientific surveys of the Park’s natural resources, raising awareness of the importance of MPAs, training park rangers and local NGOs in MPA management, conducting monitoring and surveillance, promoting sustainable resource use, and protecting fish spawning aggregations.

The Raja Ampat Islands. The Raja Ampat, or “Four Kings,” archipelago encompasses more than 9.8 million acres of land and sea and is the diversity epicenter of the Coral Triangle. Scientific surveys of Raja Ampat by the Conservancy and our partners recorded the highest coral and fish diversities found on Earth, including 537 coral species— an incredible 75% of all known species —and 1,074 fish species. The Conservancy’s goal is to protect Raja Ampat’s reefs while sustaining the livelihoods of local people. We are working in close partnership with the government and communities to develop a comprehensive conservation action plan to protect reefs and forests, establish a network of MPAs, and help incorporate MPA management into long-term development planning and policy.

The Derawan Islands. Renowned by divers for their rich coral reefs and hundreds of manta rays, the Derawan Islands feature some of the most significant green turtle nesting beaches in Southeast Asia and a unique saltwater lake with four endemic, stingless jellyfish species. The area’s reefs are extremely diverse because of the influence of the Berau River on the coastal waters. The Conservancy is working with the district government of Berau, WWF Indonesia, USAID’s Coastal Resources Management Project II, Kehati, and local communities to establish a large MPA that encompasses the entire area.

Kimbe Bay, Papua New Guinea. Kimbe Bay is home to at least 860 species of reef fish and 350 species of hard coral, making it one of the world’s richest marine environments. The bay boasts massive coral pinnacles that rise from the sea floor, and is frequented by whales and dolphins, large schools of tuna, and sharks. To combat threats from logging and development, destructive fishing, and rapid population growth, the Conservancy developed a multifaceted conservation program that includes establishing a network of locally managed MPAs, supporting local conservation NGOs, and conducting education and outreach. We also helped establish the first “community protected areas” in Kimbe Bay when local communities, concerned about their dwindling marine resources, agreed to close four coral reefs to harvesting for three years.

Solomon Islands. Scattered in a double chain of 922 islands, the Solomon Islands covers more than 835,000 square miles of the South Pacific and is ranked among the top 10 most biologically diverse nations in the world. In 2004, a marine survey by the Conservancy and our partners found that the country has one of the highest coral diversities on Earth, including 494 coral species and several species that may be new to science. The Conservancy is now working with the Solomon Islands government to develop a national marine conservation strategy which includes establishing MPAs.

Science, training and communications

CTC’s Science Program aims to generate knowledge on marine biodiversity conservation and on sustainable use of marine resources in the Coral Triangle, and to ensure that this knowledge is applied in on-site MPA management, in awareness and communication, and in policy. CTC’s Science Program is management-oriented, and focuses on planning, implementation and evaluation of MPAs. Amongst others, the Science Program provides technical advice for on-site programs, supports on-site programs with tailor-made monitoring protocols, provides content for training programs, and ensures that communications and policy initiatives have access to the latest scientific insights.

The goal of CTC’s Training Program is to transfer knowledge and skills on planning and management of MPAs as an effective management tool for biodiversity conservation and for managing sustainable use of marine natural resources. Target audiences include policy-makers, managers, practitioners, and co-managing resource users. One of the Training Program’s core components is a one-week introductory course on MPA management and planning, which has been offered to more than 300 representatives from local and national government agencies, academia and NGOs.

CTC’s Communications Program produces and disseminates information on MPAs, so that MPAs are accepted as the tool of choice for biodiversity conservation and for management of ecosystem services provided by marine ecosystems in the Coral Triangle. The Communications Program helps on-site programs and CTC’s Policy Program with formulating communications strategies, and with producing information materials. The Commmunications Programs takes a pivotal role in organization of media campaigns and stakeholder workshops, and keeps CTC and partners updated on relevant developments in society by monitoring media reports on marine resource management.

Policy and financing

CTC works closely with local and international partners to develop and support marine conservation policies, which requires pro-active engagement with government agencies and multi-lateral organizations. One of the key vehicles for the Policy and Financing Program to achieve its objectives in Indonesia is the National Committee for Marine onservation, a cross-departmental think- tank that formulates policy advice on fisheries and MPA management. The Conservancy provides technical and operational support for this Committee. The Policy and Financing Program also works on the introduction of innovative financing schemes for management of MPAs, and develops mechanisms and policies to involve stakeholders in MPA planning and management.