WWF to mark Coral Triangle Day

WORLD Wide Fund and its partners will celebrate the first-ever Coral Triangle Day on June 9 at locations around the region.
It is to highlight the importance of marine conservation and to raise awareness on this global center of marine biodiversity. 
The Coral Triangle Day brings together individuals, organisations and establishments from different parts of the region to celebrate the beauty and uniqueness of the region and to promote the importance of oceans through varied activities including beach clean-ups; sustainable seafood dinners, educational exhibitions, marine-themed bazaars and beach parties.
“WWF, along with its partners, are encouraging everyone to do one special thing, no matter how small, that will contribute to saving the Coral Triangle and let the world know how we care about it by sharing it on the Coral Triangle online platform www.thecoraltriangle.com/day,” WWF Coral Triangle programme leader Dr Lida Pet-Soed said.
Pet-Soede said the coral triangle was a six million square-kilometre ocean expanse that contained the highest number of reef building corals on the planet.
Its spectacular coral reefs systems are home to thousands of whales, dolphins, rays, sharks and six of the world’s seven species of marine turtles.
Pet-Soede said the coral triangle was spread across six countries in Asia and the Pacific including Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Timor Leste and the Solomon Islands.
The Coral Triangle is also a nursery ground for highly valuable tuna species and much sought-after reef fish species.
It directly sustains the lives of more than 120 million people who heavily depend on marine resources for food and income.
“However, coastal development, destructive fishing, over-fishing, unsustainable tourism, the illegal harvest and trade of endangered species, and climate change, among many others, are taking a heavy toll on this fragile marine ecosystem.”