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ECOLOGY & ENVIRONMENT

CORAL TRIANGLE

Experts recommend the Coral Triangle be classified as a Particularly Sensitive Sea Area to provide it with special protection from harmful maritime activities

A PARTICULARLY SENSITIVE SEA AREA (PSSA)

  • It is an area that needs special protection through action by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) because of its significance for recognized ecological or socio-economic or scientific reasons.
  • The area must be vulnerable to damage by international maritime activities.
  • Examples of PSSAs include the Great Barrier Reef, the Galapagos Islands, and the Wadden Sea.

ABOUT

  • The Coral Triangle, often referred to as the ‘Amazon of the seas’, is a huge marine area spanning over 10 million square kilometres.
  • It includes countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, the Philippines, Timor-Leste, and the Solomon Islands.
  • This region is home to 76% of the world’s coral species and supports more than 120 million people who rely on its resources for their livelihoods.
  • Serious dangers brought by fossil fuel expansion to the Coral Triangle, were highlighted by a report released in 16th Conference of Parties (COP16) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
  • The report highlighted the overlaps with oil and gas blocks, affecting 24 percent of coral reefs, 22 percent of seagrass areas, and 37 percent of mangroves.

Source: DTE

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