Indonesia to boost preservation of coral reefs
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The Indonesian government strives to boost preservation of coral reefs at the world coral triangle in Wakatobi of Southeast Sulawesi, local media reported in Jakarta?Monday.
The area had very rich variety of coral reefs and had various natural resource potentials for billions of people, the Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) spokesman Imran was quoted by the Antara news wire as saying.
Indonesian waters have the most diversity of coral reefs, namely 70 species of the world's 850 species.
"The Caribbean sea has only 50 coral reefs and the Red Sea only 300," Imran said.
"The management and utilization of natural resources in Wakatobi waters at the center of world coral triangle should consider the principles of sustainable use," Imran said.
He said that to support the management and utilization of natural resources in Wakatobi waters, the government of Indonesia through the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry would soon establish a Coral Reefs Conservation School in Wakatobi.
The school, the first of this kind in ASEAN and even in the world, was scheduled to be inaugurated by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in conjunction with the opening of Sail Wakatobi- Balitung 2011 later.
