Malaysia Highlights Marine and Coastal Resource Conservation Achievements under the CTI

On June 10-11, 2013, more than 100 representatives from government, community and non-government organizations attended a two-day conference organized by the Malaysian Government to highlight the progress made in conserving and sustaining the country’s marine and coastal resources under the Coral Triangle Initiative’s regional and national plans of action. Among the highlights include Malaysia’s ratification of the agreement to establish a permanent CTI Regional Secretariat, the first of the six Coral Triangle countries to do so.

The government also noted several milestones achieved through USAID’s US CTI Support Program. These includes the deployment of two marine expeditions that strengthened the development of a national marine database, adoption of an ecosystem approach to fisheries management, integration of sustainable fisheries practices in the live reef fish trade, and institutionalization of a collaborative approach in the management of coastal and marine resources. These efforts have also resulted in the scheduled declaration of the proposed one-million hectare Tun Mustapha Park by 2015.

During the event, Dr. Khatijah Bt. Mohd Yusoff, Deputy Secretary General at Malaysia’s Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation thanked USAID for its early and substantial support to the CTI that led to the substantial accomplishments in the last five years. U.S. Ambassador to Malaysia Paul Jones also congratulated the Malaysian Government for its achievements and noted that the U.S. Government will continue to support marine and coastal resource management in the country through bi-lateral agreements on global ocean monitoring technology, among other themes.