Indonesia Urges G20 Countries to Support Coral Reef Restoration

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - The Indonesian government called on the G20 member countries to jointly conduct coral reef restoration in Indonesia to avoid additional damage and improve coral health conditions in the country, State News Antara reported.

“One of the concrete actions is to conduct conservation and restoration through the Indonesia Coral Reef Garden (ICRG) Program,” Deputy for Maritime Resources Coordination of the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Investment Jodi Mahardi said in a workshop road to Ocean 20 titled “No Coral Reef Behind” in Bali on Monday, Aug. 29.

The G20 members comprise South Africa, the United States, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, India, Indonesia, the United Kingdom, Italy, Japan, Germany, Canada, Mexico, South Korea, Russia, France, China, Turkey, and the European Union.

Jodi said that the determination of the conservation area aimed to protect and utilize the function of coral reef ecosystems as support for aquatic biota around corals in the present and future.

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“The Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) and the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK) along with local governments have now applied this conservation function. Conservation areas have been proven to protect coastal areas on small islands and create sustainable environmental management,” he said.

He also highlighted that awareness of the importance of coral reefs had started in 1998 with the existence of the Coral Reef Rehabilitation and Management Program (Coremap).

Coremap comprises the initiation stage, acceleration stage, and institutional strengthening stage, with a total investment of over $170.77 million.

“Implementation of Coremap in Indonesia not only improves the coral conditions but also has implications for increasing the diversity of marine biota that will directly improve the welfare of coastal communities,” he added.

On the same occasion, Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Minister of Environment, Water, and Agriculture, Osama Faqeeha, emphasized the importance of coral reef health for the welfare of the community and general environmental health conditions.

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“We will not be able to protect our coral reefs properly if we continue to implement policies as usual. Drastic steps are needed to save the world’s corals,” he said.

In an effort to demonstrate his country’s seriousness, Faqeeha affirmed that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will donate $10 million annually in the first 10 years to support coral conservation and restoration programs.

He also encouraged other countries, both members and non-members of the G20, as well as the private sector to contribute to coral preservation and restoration.

A representative from the World Coral Reef Funding Organization (GFCR), Yabanex Batista, also emphasized that his organization will prioritize Indonesia as a target in coral reef restoration and conservation programs.

Through the workshop, Jodi outlined plans to establish a Coral Stock Center (CSC) and build a Global Center of Excellence (GCoE) on Coral Reef as the world’s first center for developing science and technology related to coral reef ecosystems.

Source: State News Antara