Coral Triangle Day – Manado, Indonesia

With Dr. John Tasirin, Sam Ratulangi University, Manado, North Sulawesi, Indonesia

When I taught the Ecology short courses for the CIDA sponsored Eastern Indonesian Universities Development Project (EIUDP) I always had an Indonesian counterpart to help with the course (translation, course content, labs, etc). My teaching counterpart for the course taught at Patimurra University in Ambon in the amazing Moluccas Islands of Eastern Indonesia was none other than John Tasirin. At that time John had just completed his Master’s degree at the University of New Brunswick (supported by CIDA). John went on to complete his PhD in Tasmania and is now back in Indonesia teaching at Sam Ratulangi University in Manado at the northern tip of the amoeba shaped island of Sulawesi.

Media for Coral Triangle Day, Manado, Indonesia

John has done amazing things in the past 15 years and continues to work tirelessly to increase awareness of the flora, fauna and biodiversity values of north Sulawesi and Indonesia. He is very highly regarded by everyone from students to local politicians as everyone I talked to praised him for the work he does for conservation and for Manado. Well done my friend!

One of the projects John has had his fingers in recently has been the planning for a project that he and a multitude of partners have been working on for months called the Coral Triangle Day.
I had heard about the Coral Triangle in discussions with staff at the WWF office in Singapore very early in my journey. The Coral Triangle is a six million km2 area that covers waters of Indonesia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Malaysia, the Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste. The ocean waters and the sea life within them support a human population of about 120 million people.

This biodiversity hotspot has 75% of all known coral species (thus the name the ‘Coral Triangle’), 3000 species of reef fish and six of the seven marine  turtle species (the only one missing is the Kemp's Ridley which is critically endangered and only breeds on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico). The Coral Triangle is also the source of 25% of the global tuna catch - a multi-billion dollar industry. Indonesia is a key component of the Coral Triangle with its 17,000 islands and over 80,000 kms of coastline.

I was invited by John to take part in the Coral Triangle Day celebrations just west of Manado in North Sulawesi, Indonesia. It was an event that seemed to be taken right out of the Mark Angelo book for community involvement in conservation issues. There were politicians, with media in tow, mangrove plantings, restoration of coral reefs and a beach cleanup competition for youth. Pick up the most garbage on the beach and you win a prize!

These events are so important as they involve the entire community – from the kids and their families to NGOs and academic institutions to politicians (who make key decisions that can affect conservation and ecosystem health). I was so impressed with the event and even got to plant my own mangrove (I want to go back to ensure it is still there … years from now!).

One of the NGOs involved in the event was WWF. WWF has selected the Coral Triangle as a conservation priority. The staff of WWF in Indonesia, Singapore and other countries within the Coral Triangle are driving positive change with the tuna, live reef fish and tourism industries to curb degradation of the marine environment. The objective is to have a healthy environment and a thriving tourism industry that already sits at 12 billion/year.

Examples include: working to change the types of hooks used in fishing, promoting the creation of marine protected areas particularly around critical spawning grounds and encouraging citizens to make responsible choices in restaurants (in terms of the fish they choose to buy).

Well done John and all partners involved in the Coral Triangle Day!

Beautiful end to a fabulous day in Manado, Indonesia