TropicalCoast 4th new indd

8

July 2008

A reorganization in the Cabinet 

resulted in the designation of a new 

Secretary to the Department of 

Environment and Natural Resources 

(DENR), the lead agency in the country 

for the SSME.

These changes resulted in a 

cumulative effect, slowing down of 

the ratification of the MOU in each 

country and the subsequent delay 

in the formation of the Tri-National 

Committee. Nonetheless, the ability 

of the countries to move forward 

with the SSME process, in spite of 

interruptions, is evidence of the spirit 

of cooperation which has been built 

around the Sulu-Sulawesi tri-national 

initiative. 

The role of the nongovernmental 

organizations in SSME governance 

building is noteworthy. The World 

Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), through 

its SSME Programme, played a 

critical role in the formation of the 

Tri-National Committee in 2006. The 

WWF SSME Directorate/Coordination 

Unit, served as the secretariat of the 

Preparatory Committee for SSME. 

Conservation International (CI), on 

the other hand, has played a major 

supporting role to strengthen the 

Tri-National Committee since its 

formation. CI also significantly 

and actively contributed to the 

implementation of the ECP through 

the implementation of its Sulu-

Sulawesi Seascape Project, in 

partnership with the SSME countries 

(See Box 4). The purposeful role 

of NGOs is demonstrated by the 

membership of CI and WWF in the 

Tri-National Committee and its 

subcommittees. 

Box 4.   Partnerships across political boundaries  for global biodiversity.

In 2005, the Sulu-Sulawesi Seascape (SSS) Project was launched by Conservation 

International (CI) to protect critical species and habitats in the marine biodiversity 

conservation corridors of Verde Passage, Cagayan Ridge, Balabac Strait and the Tri-National 

Sea Turtle Corridor, through partnership with major stakeholders in Indonesia, Malaysia 

and the Philippines.

Using marine protected area (MPA) as the basic conservation and resource management 

tool, work in the SSS Project involves strengthening existing MPAs, establishment of new 

sites, and designing scientifi cally-based networks of MPAs. The SSS Project also involves 

implementation of conservation interventions, including law enforcement enhancement, 

capacity building of stakeholders, sustainable fi nancing, policy review and formulation, 

and necessary information, education and communications (IEC) activities in the marine 

biodiversity conservation corridors. Parallel to these are seascape-wide development of 

strategies for law enforcement, capacity enhancement, IEC, private sector engagement and 

policy formulations related to fi sheries, oil and gas, and ecotourism.

These interventions are geared towards a desired long-term outcome of conserving the 

full range of biodiversity in the Sulu-Sulawesi Seascape. They are coupled with research 

through a consortium of partners to provide a scientifi c basis for conservation and 

management and the implementation of sustainable strategies in critical marine corridors. 

The CI-SSS Project contributes to the implementation of the Ecoregion Conservation Plan 

(ECP) for Sulu-Sulawesi Seas. The project is hinged on the tri-national vision of biodiversity 

conservation and sustainable development through partnerships across political 

boundaries. The project enables direct participation in forming and strengthening the 

governance for the seascape through CI’s membership in the Tri-National Committee of the 

ECP and in its three subcommittees. 

Source: CI-Philippines, 2007.

While the Tri-National Committee 

welcomes NGO representation and 

participation, it must be emphasized 

that governments expect NGOs to 

observe and remain respectful of 

protocols for intergovernmental 

meetings and cooperation 

mechanisms that the SSME upholds. 

The Tri-National Committee is a 

new mechanism for regional seas 

governance and thus has new 

requirements for capacity building 

and networking. It is important to 

reiterate the need for the committee 

to link to the structure of a higher, 

politically stable body (Lejano, 2006). 

Regional programmes and bodies such 

as the BIMP-EAGA

3

, PEMSEA

4

, ASEAN

5

, 

have noted with interest the progress 

made by the Sulu-Sulawesi tri-

national initiative. The Coral Triangle 

Initiative (CTI), which is a partnership 

of six countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, 

Philippines, Papua New Guinea, the 

Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste), 

sees the case of SSME as a model 

in seascape development. A fully 

functional Tri-National Committee 

can effectively implement the ECP 

and can be an important vehicle in 

enhancing the implementation of 

regional and international instruments 

and conventions for conservation and 

sustainable development in the seas 

of East Asia through the Sustainable 

Development Strategy for the Seas of 

East Asia or SDS-SEA (PEMSEA, 2003), 

Convention on Biological Diversity 

(CBD), and Chapter 17 of Agenda 21, 

UNCED (1992).

New Opportunities

Wherein existing bilateral and 

multilateral platforms in the region 

3

   Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-

Philippines-East ASEAN Growth Area or 

BIMP-EAGA

4

   Partnerships in Environmental 

Management for the Seas of East Asia 

5

   Association of Southeast Asian Nations 

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