The Coral Triangle Center (CTC) was honored to participate in a high-level side event at the 3rd United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC), held in Nice, France in June 2025. Titled “Establishing Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in a Changing Climate”, the event spotlighted the vital role of MPAs in building climate resilience, aligning with the launch of the new IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) report on climate-adaptive MPA practices.

CTC Executive Director Rili Djohani joined global experts and policymakers to share lessons from the field, presenting insights from the Ay-Rhun MPA in Banda, Maluku. As one of Indonesia’s emerging community-led MPAs, Ay-Rhun illustrates how locally grounded, inclusive governance can help deliver both biodiversity conservation and climate adaptation goals. Ms. Djohani emphasized the importance of co-management approaches that integrate traditional knowledge and empower local communities to manage marine resources sustainably—an approach especially critical in the face of climate-related stressors such as coral bleaching, species shifts, and sea level rise.

The session also introduced the new IUCN report, “Establishing Marine Protected Areas in a Changing Climate”, which offers four guiding principles for climate-adaptive MPA planning: understand change, strengthen adaptation and resilience, ensure equity and inclusivity, and generate holistic co-benefits. These principles are supported by global case studies, including one from Indonesia, and are intended to guide conservation agencies, governments, and community groups in strengthening the design and implementation of MPAs in a rapidly changing ocean.

CTC’s participation underscored the Coral Triangle region’s commitment to advancing ocean-based climate solutions while supporting the goals of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework’s Target 3—to effectively protect 30% of the planet’s marine and coastal areas by 2030. The event also discussed the importance of implementing the BBNJ Agreement (High Seas Treaty) and the need for equitable, climate-smart strategies in areas beyond national jurisdiction.

Speakers at the session included Rili Djohani, Executive Director of the Coral Triangle Center (Indonesia); Lauren Wenzel, Co-Chair of the IUCN WCPA Protected Areas and Climate Change Specialist Group; Natalie Askew, Director of International Evidence and Advice at the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (United Kingdom); Florent Merle, Deputy Director of European and International Relations at the French Biodiversity Agency (OFB); Dr. Felipe Paredes Vargas, Vice Chair of the Marine Theme at IUCN WCPA and Director of Marine Policy and Habitat Protection at Oceana Chile; and Dr. Arthur Tuda, Executive Director of the West Indian Ocean Marine Science Association (WIOMSA).

CTC used the opportunity to build new partnerships with governments, private sector actors, and regional organizations working to scale marine conservation impact in a changing climate. Together, we are shaping a future where MPAs are not only ecologically effective but also climate-resilient and people-centered.