Ambon (Antara Maluku) - The Maluku provincial capital of Ambon will host the commemoration of Coral Triangle Day (CTD) on June 9, 2014, one of the event's organizers said.
"CTD which is an agreement among six countries, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Timor leste, and Salomon is a special day to save coral reefs and coastal areas," executive secretary of the CTD national coordinating committee Victor Nikijuluw said here on Wednesday.
For the first time ever, CTD was observed in Denpasar, Bali, in 2012. This year, CTD will be observed in Bitung, North Sulawesi, and Buleleng, Bali, he said.
"Ambon has well-preserved coral reefs and marine ecosystem which are not inferior to those of other regions," he said.
Preserving coral reefs and coastal areas is important to contribute to economic growth and sustainable development, he said.
"We praise the Ambon mayor for his good cooperation so that a meeting of regional heads throughout Maluku province with regard to Coral Triangle Initiative and Coral Reef, Fisheries and Food Security (CTI-CFF) ran smoothly," he said.
The meeting is a starting point to preserve coral reefs, he said.
"Today we have done a lot of things to preserve coastal areas by planting mangrove trees on Rutong coast in Leitimur Selatan sub-district," he said.
