The Manado Ocean Declaration

From 11 to 15 May 2009, representatives of 76 countries attended the World Ocean Conference (WOC) & the Coral Triangle Summit in Manado, North Sulawesi.

According to The Jakarta Globe, the attendants have agreed on a pact called the Manado Ocean Declaration (MOD) which includes the following key points:
• Achievement of long-term conservation, management & sustainable use of marine living resources and coastal habitats through the appropriate application of precautionary and ecosystem approaches, and to implement long-term strategies in meeting the internationally-agreed sustainable development goals.
• Stress the need for national strategies for sustainable management of coastal and marine ecosystems, in particular mangrove, wetland, sea-grass, estuary and coral reef, as protective and productive buffer zones that deliver valuable ecosystem goods and services that have significant potential for addressing the adverse effects of climate change.
• Cooperation in continuation of marine scientific research & sustained integrated ocean observation systems, promote education and public awareness, work together for the improved understanding on the role of oceans on climate change and vice-versa, and continue developing reliable scientific information on the roles of coastal and marine ecosystems in reducing the effects of climate change.
• Taking adequate measures to reduce sources of marine pollution assure integrated management and rehabilitate coastal ecosystems.
• Invite parties to the UNFCCC to consider developing and submitting climate change adaptation project proposals for coastal and ocean management to the Adaptation Fund Board for consideration.
• Stress the need to promote affordable, environmentally sound and renewable ocean technologies, and know-how, particularly in developing countries.

The Indonesian Minister of Maritime and Fisheries Affairs i.e. Freddy Numberi said that the MOD has been unanimously agreed by the attendants, therefore it will be brought to the Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen, Denmark next December.
However, the US head of delegation i.e Mary Glackin said that the declaration is non binding and contain no specific commitments for funding or emissions targets.
Further, an Australian scientist i.e. Ove Hoegh-Guldberg said that the result was "dissapointingly weak given the severity of the problem.”
While Desima Williams, representative of Grenada to the UN and chair of the Alliance of Small Island States, said that the conference had escalated “the connection, attention, potentials and values of oceans as important into negotiations.”

I hope that Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen would enfore the Manado Ocean Declaration, which is important for Indonesia whose most of its territory consists of seas.