Coral Triangle Center Joins CTI-CFF as Partner

The CTI-CFF Council of Ministers (COM) on May 15 approved the Coral Triangle Center (CTC) (external link) as a CTI-CFF Partner.

CTC, an NGO based in Bali, Indonesia, is the first new Partner of the CTI-CFF since the regional forum was launched in 2009. It joins three of the world’s biggest environmental NGOs – Conservation International, The Nature Conservancy and World Wide Fund for Nature – who have been Partners of the CTI-CFF from the outset, along with the Government of Australia, United States Government, Asian Development Bank, and Global Environment Facility.

Partners participate in the CTI-CFF Ministerial Meeting and Senior Officials Meeting upon the invitation of the CTI COM. Organizations and States seeking to be a CTI-CFF Partner must be approved by consensus resolution of the CTI COM, meet a set of criteria for CTI-CFF Partner membership as agreed by the CTI COM, and state at a Ministerial Meeting its support for the principles and objectives of the CTI-CFF, its Rules of Procedure and the CTI-CFF Secretariat Agreement.

CTC is focused on strengthening local capacity for marine conservation through customized trainings, marine protected area (MPA) learning sites, and facilitation of public-private partnerships in the Coral Triangle.  Although a new Partner, it has a long-standing relationship with the CTI-CFF and its Member Countries -- it is one of the core organizers of the CTI-CFF Women Leaders Forum and Regional Business Forum, and has provided more than 30 customized trainings throughout the CTI-CFF countries to more than 1,000 stakeholders directly involved in marine conservation.

“As a CTI-CFF Partner with its sole geographic scope focused on the Coral Triangle, CTC is better positioned to conduct capacity development programs with partners and communities throughout the Coral Triangle in order to achieve sustainable marine and coastal resource management within the region and around the world,” said CTC’s Executive Director, Ms Rili Djohani. “CTC acts as a bridge across scales and sectors throughout the Coral Triangle, connecting the local to regional level and building public-private partnerships.”

CTC trainings emphasize connecting theory to action to enhance effective management of MPAs throughout the Coral Triangle, according to Ms Djohani. “Our veteran educators work with established centers of learning, including international NGOs, universities, and government training centers to develop customized curriculums tailored to local contexts.  Alumni of CTC’s programs become members of CTC’s MPA learning network to increase collaboration between marine resource practitioners throughout the Coral Triangle.”

In parallel with the trainings, CTC is developing a portfolio of MPA learning sites throughout the Coral Triangle to develop best practices and provide hands-on experience in marine conservation for practitioners within the CTI-CFF region.  CTC’s first learning site at Nusa Penida MPA received an award from Indonesia’s Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries as a leading example for MPAs throughout the country.  In 2012, the Nusa Penida MPA hosted the CTI-CFF MPA regional learning exchange for participants from the six CT countries to share best practices and lessons learned in establishing and effectively managing an MPA.