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RR RUEHDT RUEHPB
DE RUEHJA #1766/01 2612352
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 172352Z SEP 08
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0123
INFO RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
RHEHAAA/WHITE HOUSE WASHDC
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 3052
RUEHML/AMEMBASSY MANILA 3246
RUEHKL/AMEMBASSY KUALA LUMPUR 2498
RUEHPB/AMEMBASSY PORT MORESBY 3996
RUEHDT/AMEMBASSY DILI 0980
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 001766
SIPDIS
DEPARTMENT FOR U/S FORE, U/S DOBRIANSKY, U/S GLASSMAN, A/S MCMURRAY
AND SCIENCE ADVISER FEDEROFF
TREASURY FOR SECRETARY PAULSON
WHITE HOUSE FOR CEQ CONNAUGHTON
NOAA FOR ADMINISTRATOR LAUTENBACHER
STATE ALSO FOR EAP/MTS AND OES
E.O. 12598: N/A
TAGS: SENV TBIO EAID ECON PREL ID
SUBJECT: A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO ADVANCE OUR ENVIRONMENTAL,
SCIENTIFIC AND DIPLOMATIC AGENDA
FROM AMBASSADOR CAMERON HUME
1. (U) Summary. The upcoming World Oceans Conference, Coral
Triangle Initiative Summit, and possible voyage of NOAA's Okeanos
Explorer present unique opportunities to advance our environmental,
scientific and diplomatic agendas in Indonesia and beyond. We
should shape these events to advance our climate change policy
objectives, improve our scientific knowledge of an underexplored
part of the world, build awareness of the importance the Coral
Triangle's ocean and coastal resources, and improve the perception
of our commitment to the environment. Focus and attention will
allow us to take advantage of many of these opportunities. But we
need resources to fund the Okeanos Explorer. Our USAID mission is
investigating a $500,000 contribution and we are also exploring
public-private partnerships. End summary.
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May 2009: The CTI Summit and World Oceans Conference
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2. (U) The Coral Triangle (encompassing Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua
New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands, and Timor-Leste) is the
epicenter of marine biodiversity on earth. But it is at risk from
destructive fishing practices, poor coastal resource management,
illegal and unmanaged logging, and climate change. With input from
The Nature Conservancy, Indonesian President Yudhoyono developed the
Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI), which was formally announced at the
December 2007 climate change conference in Bali. The CTI will
address environmental threats to coastal and marine resources while
alleviating the poverty that is the root cause of many destructive
activities. President Bush endorsed the CTI proposal at the 2007
APEC Summit. And with projected funding of $32 million over five
years, the U.S. is the largest bilateral donor.
3. (U) The respective heads of state will formally launch the Coral
Triangle Initiative May 15, 2009, at a summit in Manado, Indonesia.
The launch will take place immediately following the first World
Oceans Conference, another Indonesian initiative. This
international conference, which will run May 11-15, 2009, will focus
on how oceans influence and are influenced by climate change,
culminating in the signing of the Manado Declaration. The Manado
Declaration, currently in preparation, will highlight the scientific
interplay between changes in ocean chemistry and temperature,
climate variability and weather patterns, and fishing stocks; the
oceans' role as carbon sinks and how they can be used for carbon
sequestration; and how governments can collaborate on both
adaptation and mitigation. The Manado Declaration is expected to
set a global oceans policy framework for regional ocean management
efforts like the Coral Triangle. Although we understand there is
concern in Washington about whether the Manado Declaration will
compete with the UN climate change process, Indonesian officials
stress that the declaration will complement, not undermine, the
success of the 2007 Bali conference. And Indonesia is open to U.S.
suggestions on what to include in (and exclude from) the Manado
Declaration.
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Adding Value to our Efforts: the Okeanos Explorer
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4. (U) Our public and financial support for the Coral Triangle
Initiative as well as our active participation in the World Oceans
Conference will be widely recognized by marine experts as a
commitment to sustainable ocean management. But how can we use the
Manado Declaration and the CTI Summit to make real contributions to
science, improve public perception of our environmental leadership,
and further President Bush's growing "Blue Legacy." This Mission
believes a voyage by NOAA's newest exploration and research vessel
Okeanos Explorer timed with the conference would create immediate,
sustainable scientific and public diplomacy benefits. Minister of
Marine Affairs and Fisheries Freddie Numberi has invited the Okeanos
Explorer to attend the conference, a critical step as Indonesia has
historically refused permit requests for marine research.
5. (U) When it is fully outfitted next year, the Okeanos Explorer
will be the most advanced marine exploration and research vessel in
JAKARTA 00001766 002 OF 002
the world. Remote-controlled vehicles will be able to plunge to the
depth of six kilometers. The ship's "telepresence" technology
allows scientists in remote command centers around the world to
share in and guide the exploration and to analyze the results in
real time. The ship will collect critical scientific information to
support the Coral Triangle Initiative. For example, the Okeanos, in
partnership with Indonesian research vessels, could conduct baseline
surveys that correlate health of coral and other marine flora and
fauna with oceanographic and bathymetric data. Through this
collaboration, the voyage will teach Coral Triangle scientists
important scientific skills to build their capacity for innovative
research.
6. (U) There is also a secondary but still important public
diplomacy element. The Okeanos Explorer's advanced image-capture,
sampling, and communications systems will enable researchers and the
public to view flora, fauna, and physical undersea features that
would be otherwise inaccessible. These images could be beamed to
the World Oceans Conference and CTI Summit to provide real-time
exploration imagery of areas never before seen by man.
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Making it Happen
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7. (U) Getting the world's best exploration and research vessel to
make its maiden voyage to the World Ocean Conference while
conducting vital research in the most diverse marine area is too
good an opportunity to pass up. But there are obstacles. Some are
technical and logistical, but it is expected they can be overcome.
A more immediate obstacle is in paying for the voyage. NOAA has no
international budget for this unexpected opportunity, which would
cost $2-3 million. We are exploring a number of possibilities,
including:
-- Use of some of the $32 million in U.S. funding for the Coral
Triangle Initiative to support scientific research and capacity
building;
-- Collaboration with a media outlet who might be willing to sponsor
some of the costs in return for being able to get footage of
never-before explored ocean tracts;
-- Public-private partnerships with companies with an interest in
marine conservation; and
-- Foundation funding for specific research projects.
We are also willing to devote our own resources to help fund this.
Our bilateral USAID mission is investigating a $500,000 contribution
to the Okeanos Explorer to support Indonesia's desire for better
oceans research and management of its fisheries and marine-protected
areas.
8. (U) We need your help to capitalize on the opportunities
presented by the Manado Declaration, World Oceans Conference, the
Coral Triangle Initiative Summit and the Okeanos Explorer. From a
policy standpoint, we will work closely with you to ensure that we
advance U.S. interests at both events. To make this important
opportunity a reality, I need your ideas on how to raise enough
funds to pay for the Okeanos Explorer voyage to Indonesia. I would
appreciate your advice on whether there are any official resources
available for this initiative as well as ideas on foundations,
corporations or nongovernmental organizations to approach for
funding.
HUME