TropicalCoast 4th new indd

58

July 2008

Zooming Into the 

Future of the 

Sulu-Sulawesi Seas

... a seascape characterized by complex oceanography and 

exceptionally rich marine biodiversity

... a seascape located amid three nations of the Southeast Asia 

region: Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines. 

... a seascape whose rich legacy is under threat

By    Romeo Trono, Sebastian Troeng and Sheila Vergara

In spite of the waters that divide 

the peoples of Indonesia, Malaysia, 

and the Philippines, the ecoregion 

remains as a uniting factor. The 

stakeholders of the three countries 

are drawn towards a single aspiration 

of securing their future by conserving 

its biodiversity. Nongovernmental 

organizations, local and national 

governments, international and 

regional organizations, funding 

sources and foundations, and various 

stakeholders have joined efforts 

and engaged in partnerships to 

address the urgent threats to marine 

biodiversity and to strengthen 

governance of this common resource. 

The rich biodiversity in the Sulu-

Sulawesi Seascape is challenged 

by threats from rapidly increasing 

human populations who have very 

little access to financial and social 

services and are very dependent 

on marine resources. Overfishing 

and destructive fishing methods are 

commonly used. Marine ecosystems 

are being eroded or destroyed 

by various types of pollution and 

habitat-damaging activities. Levels 

of governance are disconnected 

and capacities of stakeholders and 

governments are inadequate.

Foundation Strengthened

As articulated by Miclat and Trono 

in this edition of Tropical Coasts, 

the foundations of this initiative 

were developed in the process of 

preparing the  Conservation Plan 

for Sulu-Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion 

(SSME). The implementation of this 

initiative has been taken up, since 

May of 2005, by a partnership led 

by Conservation International, with 

generous support from the Walton 

Family Foundation and other donors, 

through the Sulu-Sulawesi Seascape 

(SSS).

The SSS project focused on some 

of the many priority conservation 

areas identifi ed in the Ecoregion 

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Tropical Coasts

Conservation Plan (ECP). The fi rst three 

years of SSS employed a two-pronged 

approach, building a strong foundation 

for a long-term conservation programme 

and implementing actions to address 

immediate threats to biodiversity. 

The project took strategic actions in 

four marine biodiversity conservation 

corridors: Verde Island Passage, Cagayan 

Ridge, Balabac Strait, and the Tri-National 

Sea Turtle Conservation Corridor, which 

involves Indonesia, Malaysia and the 

Philippines. 

Immediate and long-term initiatives 

under the project were geared towards 

providing the science to identify the 

necessary locations of marine protected 

areas, generating stakeholder support 

and providing support to enforcement 

activities. 

In June 2007, the largest gathering of 

stakeholders in Sulu-Sulawesi Seas, since 

the Sulu-Sulawesi ECP was developed in 

2003, was convened. 

The meeting, known as the Sulu-Sulawesi 

Seascape Congress, was a gathering 

of representatives from governments, 

nongovernmental organizations, 

academe and the private sector where 

achievements were shared:

a.  scientific characterization of 

marine conservation corridors for 

better management; 

b.  status and studies of marine 

species and recommendations for 

improving conservation; 

c.  law enforcement framework and 

challenges; 

d.  policies and financing options 

relevant to conservation; 

e.  capacity building and information 

for coastal management; and 

f.   prioritization of issues and actions 

for conservation in the various 

corridors and for the Sulu-

Sulawesi.

Future directions for the seascape were 

charted by the gathering.

Governments have taken 

bold steps

Philippine President Gloria Macapagal 

Arroyo signed an Executive Order 

“Establishing the National Policy 

on Biological Diversity, Prescribing 

its Implementation throughout the 

Country, particularly in the Sulu-

Sulawesi Marine Ecosystem and the 

Verde Island Passage Marine Corridor” 

(See Box 1).

Indonesian President Yudhoyono led 

six countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, 

Philippines, Papua New Guinea, 

Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste) in 

launching the Coral Triangle Initiative on 

Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security. 

(See Box 2 for CTI goals and objectives, 

and Table 1 for Proposed subprojects of 

the Coral Triangle Initiative.) 

Eff orts on capacity building have 

improved management skills in 

various coastal conservation aspects 

and coordination among government 

agencies and private organizations.  

Studies, research, and marine surveys 

have helped identify priority sites 

for MPA designation and established 

baselines to measure eff ectiveness of 

marine conservation eff orts. Findings 

served as bases for decision-making. 

Marine protected areas (MPA) networks 

were formed to maximize synergies in 

management eff orts through sharing 

of experiences, knowledge and skills. 

Increased sea patrols have resulted in 

the apprehension of fi shing boats and 

the arrest of fi shers employing illegal 

means of fi shing. 

Yet, much remains to be done especially 

with regard to protected areas, 

enforcement, livelihood and fi nancing. 

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