Coral Triangle Initiative | Secretariat

As main partners in mobilizing resources to support the Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI), the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) plan to generate a total of US$25.5 million in funding for Southeast Asia and the Pacific region.

The Southeast Asian region is expected to receive $12.3 million in funds to support the collaborative program to protect the coral triangle, while the Pacific region is expected to receive $13.2 million.

Speaking at a seminar Monday on the sidelines of the World Ocean Conference (WOC) in Manado, ADB principal natural resources economist Mahfuz Ahmed said the development bank was ready to "work behind the scenes" for the CTI.

"At the end of the day, it is the governments that can ensure sustainability. As a development partner, we will work together with these countries," he said.

ADB natural resources economist Marilou Dilon told The Jakarta Post the budget allocation was indicative of how much the regions would receive in the implementation of the collaborative initiative to protect the coral triangle.

"The $12.3 million *for Southeast Asia* will be divided among three countries: $4.6 million for Indonesia, $3.1 million for Malaysia and $4.6 million for the Philippines," she said.

Dilon added that of the total funds for Southeast Asia, approximately $10.3 million would come from the GEF and the rest from ADB.

The GEF is the largest funder of projects to protect the environment, with a total of 178 member countries. It provides grants for projects related to six focal areas: Biodiversity, climate change, international waters, land degradation, the ozone layer and persistent organic pollutants.

The GEF has pledged grants of up to $65 million for CTI-related projects. The ADB basically serves as the lead agency in organizing the projects and funding from a range of partners, which will support conservation, policy development and institutional strengthening efforts under the CTI.

The Pacific CTI has been identified as the top priority by the GEF in its Pacific Alliance for Sustainability (PAS) program, aimed at creating sustainable livelihoods for families depending on the sea for their income, and helping address pressures on reefs and local fisheries.

The ADB and GEF funds for the Pacific region will be distributed to Papua New Guinea ($4.5 million), Timor Leste ($2.6 million), the Solomon Islands ($2.8 million), Vanuatu ($2.3 million) and Fiji ($958,000).

ADB senior safeguards specialist Edy Brotoisworo said the region would also receive funds from bilateral partners such as Australia and the United States through USAID.

The US government has pledged nearly $40 million to support the initiative in both regions. The Australian government is slated to announce its contribution to the CTI during the visit of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to Manado.

The CTI on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security is a high-profile effort involving six countries in Southeast Asia and other partners that was launched by the Indonesian President in Bali in 2007 to preserve and manage the region's marine resources.

source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2009/05/12/adb-gef-provide-us255m-funding-cti.html