The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has announced the details of the new phase of its four-year project supporting the Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security (CTI-CFF).
ADB is providing technical assistance to five Pacific countries through the project "Strengthening Coastal and Marine Resources Management in the Coral Triangle of the Pacific (Phase II)" with the aim of improving the resilience of their coastal and marine ecosystems and climate change.
The project aims to strengthen the capabilities of national and local institutions in Papua New Guinea (PNG), Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Fiji, and Vanuatu in sustainable coastal and marine resources management and in the application of ecosystem-based fishery management and climate change adaptation among coastal communities. Three of the five countries—Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and Timor-Leste—are part of the CTI-CFF
More resilient marine and coastal ecosystems in these countries will halt and reverse the decline in the productivity of these systems, thus improving national food security; and the capacity building efforts, resulting in more effective integrated coastal resources management will make the development of coastal communities more resilient to climate change and thus more sustainable.
The project, which costs US$18.5 million and is being funded by the Asian Development Bank with co-financing from the Global Environment Facility, Regional Cooperation and Integration Fund, and Australian Institute of Marine Science, as well as cash and in-kind contributions from the governments of the five countries, will focus on the following key national priorities:
In Fiji, the project will focus on Ra Province to build on the lessons learned from past integrated coastal resources management attempts and to apply the Fiji Locally Managed Marine Area community-based management model. The work will be done by Department of Environment under guidance of the Integrated Coastal Management Committee.
Papua New Guinea will build on coastal management work in Kimbe Bay, with a focus on managing land-based threats and identifying livelihood opportunities through ecologically sustainable economic development; and extend ecosystem-based coastal fisheries management in Manus Island. The work will be done by the Department of Environment and Conservation.
The Solomon Islands will introduce integrated coastal resources management and ecosystem-based coastal fisheries management within an existing community-based program, with a focus on Malaita and Isabel Provinces. Implementation will be shared by the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology, and Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources.
Timor-Leste’s National Directorate of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, will introduce integrated coastal resources management and ecosystem-based coastal fisheries management around the islands of Atauro Island and Batugede.
Vanuatu’s Department of Environment, Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources will develop planning in coastal communities on integrated coastal resources management and ecosystem-based coastal fisheries management.
The project also involves collaboration with several nongovernment institutions such as the International Food Policy Research Institute, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and the World Fish Center.
Click on the link to download the printer-friendly version of the ADB Coral Triangle Pacific Program brief.
For more information on the project, contact:
Robert Guild
Director
Pacific Department
rguild@adb.org
Marilou Drilon
Senior Natural Resources Economist
Pacific Department
mldrilon@adb.org