Coral triangle

Position of the coral triangle (light blue)

The Coral Triangle is a marine area that stretches from the Solomon Islands in the east over the north coast of New Guinea to the Lesser Sunda Islands in the west and past the east coast of Borneo to the Philippines in the north. It is one of the highest biodiversity (biodiversity) areas in the ocean anywhere, covering an area of 5.7 million square kilometers, roughly half the area of the United States of America . In addition to coral reefs , there are extensive seagrass meadows and often mangrove forests on the coasts .

Importance and protection

Dugongs off the north coast of East Timor

Over 150 million people live on the islands in the region. For around 2.25 million fishermen, the abundance of fish is the basis for their survival. 88% of the coral reefs in Southeast Asia are considered endangered, for example by overfishing and dynamite fishing , with the Indonesian fishing industry in particular being criticized. Live fish catching and trading in 2002 was estimated to be $ 810 million. Another problem is the phenomenon of coral bleaching . The tourist importance of the area should not be underestimated either. The region offers many attractive diving areas with its colorful fauna . But tourism can also cause damage.

Since the 1980s, the WWF has been promoting research into the area and regional projects in cooperation with the local governments and fishing associations in order to find the best ways to use it economically. The WWF is trying to achieve a switch to environmentally and resource-saving methods in fishing. This starts with limiting overfishing and continues with the fight against uncontrolled and illegal fishing. The inhabitants of the islands in the region should primarily benefit from fishing. The aim is a functioning management of the catch quotas and the creation of marine protected areas in order to safeguard biodiversity in the long term. The WWF has also focused on the conservation of sea turtles.

APEC members

The Conservancy's Coral Triangle Center (CTC) was founded in Bali in 2000 , with the aim of establishing a network of protected areas in the coral triangle to create retreat and relaxation areas for the species. The CTC is actively involved in the development of the protected areas, offers technical support (for example with research) and tries to influence politics. Through information events and cooperation with various media, the local population is also informed about the problem of marine protection. In Indonesia, there is close cooperation with the National Committee for Marine Protection. The committee prepares policy proposals for fisheries and the management of marine protected areas. The CTC provides technical and operational support for this. In September 2007, the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) founded the Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) by 21 states in order to better protect the resources of the sea. The WWF supports the CTI with the WWF Coral Triangle Program , founded in 2008 .

The CTC has focused its work on several ecoregions . In Indonesia these are the Vogelkop Peninsula (New Guinea), the Lesser Sunda Islands and the Celebes Sea , in Papua New Guinea the Bismarck Sea and together with the Solomon Islands the Solomon Islands and in the area of the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia northeast Borneo . These regions are characterized by a particularly high biodiversity on the reefs.

Existing and planned protected areas

Coral reef in Wakatobi National Park

The Komodo National Park has a sea area of 1,817 square kilometers, in addition to 603 square kilometers land area. The waters around the islands of Komodo , Rinca and Padar are home to 1,000 species of fish, 260 species of hard corals, 70 different sponges, 17 species of whales and dolphins, and two species of sea turtles. The country is known for the Komodo dragon , the largest species of lizard in the world. Since the beginning of the protective measures, dynamite fishing has ceased and the area covered with corals has grown by 60%.

The Wakatobi National Park is the largest maritime national park in Indonesia. WWF and CTC work together here.

The Raja Ampat Islands have 1,074 species of fish and a variety of hard corals on around 40,000 square kilometers. Probably nowhere else in the world are there so many different hard corals. There are currently 537 species.

The Derawaninseln on the coast of the Indonesian province of East Kalimantan have many coral reefs and hundreds manta rays . The green turtle also lays its eggs on its beaches , and four endemic jellyfish live in a unique saltwater lake . The Berau river also ensures a special diversity in the coastal waters. A protected area is being planned here.

The Kimbe Bay in Papua New Guinea has large coral reefs and is home to about 800 species of fish and 350 species of hard corals. Here you can find whales and dolphins, large schools of tuna and sharks . With a protection program that includes a network of protected areas, the support of local NGOs and the education of the population about the need for protection measures, the CIC tries to counter the threat posed by a rapidly growing population and destructive forms of fishing. The first municipal protected areas have already been established with the help of the CIC.

The Solomon Islands consist of 922 islands and are among the ten countries with the world's greatest biodiversity. In 2004, 494 coral species were identified in an investigation, plus several previously unknown species. A protection program is currently being worked on with the Solomon Islands government.

On July 27, 2007, East Timor founded the Nino Konis Santana National Park , which also protects 556 square kilometers of sea area.

fauna

With 600 species, 75% of all known hard corals live in the area . Among the 3,000 species of fish in the region are prominent representatives such as clownfish , coelacanth and the largest fish in the world, the whale shark . The occurrences of yellowfin tuna , bigeye tuna and bonito are of great economic interest . 50% of the world's tuna catch comes from here. Six of the seven sea turtles living in the world have their egg-laying areas here.

There are also numerous species of sea snails , sea snakes and dugongs , as well as various species of whales and dolphins, such as the humpback whale .

According to a 2016 publication, the reefs on the East Timor island of Atauro are the most biodiverse in the world. On average, 253 different animal species were found at ten sites, 314 at the most species-rich site (the previous record holder in West Papua had 216). A total of 643 species of marine life were counted off the coast of Ataurus. Of the over 300 species of fish in some places, many have not yet been scientifically described.