I felt this incredible sense of belonging and hope during the third our Ocean Conference hosted by the Department of State in Washington D.C. on September 15-16 in Washington DC. Participants announced over 136 new initiatives on marine conservation and protection valued at more than $5,24 billion, as well as new commitments on the protection of almost four million square kilometers (over 1,5 million square miles) of the ocean.
John Kerry has been able to galvanize and mobilize a global ocean community by organizing annual conferences since 2014 :
“We have to keep the momentum going so that we can come together and protect our ocean.
Why? Because our ocean is absolutely essential for life itself – not just the food, but the oxygen and weather cycles of the planet all depend on the ocean.” –U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry
People, organizations and governments fell connected and an urge to contribute to ocean conservation!
It was reported that we may have more plastics than fish in the ocean by 2050 if we continue to do business as usual!
I am delighted that our Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, Ibu Susi Pudjiastuti has pledged to host the 5th Our Ocean Conference in Bali in 2018 which would be perfect platform for the launch of our CTC marine conservation center in Sanur.
At the global level, CTC has more and more visibility by becoming a member of the IUCN Members Assembly and Nature For All Campaign and by participating in the World Conservation Congress (WCC). I am also delighted to be selected as one of the regional advisors of the Mission Blue Hope Spots Council, which was launched at the WCC in Hawaii.
CTC’s strength remains in our mobility and network to work at all levels and participate, lead and implement programs at the global, regional, national and local levels. We further advanced the regional marine tourism task force for the Coral Triangle Initiatives and completed a regional MPA capacity building assessment positioning us as well as a regional training provider in the Coral Triangle region.
We renewed our cooperative agreement with the Indonesia Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (MMAF) Training Center who is pivotal partner in all our capacity building programs in Indonesia. We jointly conducted a training on sustainable marine tourism with MMAF in Ambon with twenty four participants from North and Central Maluku. CTC continues to strengthen enforcement in Nusa Penida MPA resulting in fishing boats and dive operators apprehended for illegal fishing and destructive tourism activities setting an example for other users in the MPA.
Our outreach programs are expanding with the development of innovative tools such as the Ocean Puppets and the Aquatico game. Our approaches at the international marine educators conference in Manado were well received and we continue to engage young adults in our work as interns and volunteers to help with social media and video clips.
A great third quarter of the year with a big thank you to our board members and partners.
Rili Djohani
Executive Director
