Media Note
Office of the Spokesman
Washington, DC
December 7, 2007
U.S. Announces Funding of Coral Triangle Initiative
The Department of State's Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs intends to commit $750,000 for the recently announced
Coral Triangle Initiative in the East Asian/Pacific region. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Environment and
Sustainable Development Daniel A. Reifsnyder announced this contribution today in Bali. USAID is also providing
$3,600,000 - for a total of $4.35 million - to help the countries of the region build the Initiative during its
formative stages.
The regionally-driven Coral Triangle Initiative is slated to be a comprehensive plan addressing two major threats to
this biologically diverse marine region: resource exploitation and climate change effects. The Coral Triangle Initiative
will focus on three primary areas: 1) protecting coral reefs from man-made and natural disturbances, 2) developing
sustainable fisheries, and 3) ensuring food security for the region's inhabitants. The Coral Triangle Initiative affects
Indonesia (Central and Eastern), Timor-Leste, the Philippines, Malaysia (Sabah), Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon
Islands.
The United States has long been a supporter of integrated coastal resources management, improved coastal governance, and
coral reef conservation within the Coral Triangle, partnering with governments and other stakeholders over the past two
decades. Since the late 1990s, USAID has provided $33 million for marine/coastal conservation programs in the Coral
Triangle region that have already been completed. Currently, USAID is providing $26 million for ongoing marine/coastal
management programs in the area of the Coral Triangle Initiative.
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Released on December 7, 2007
ENDS