The Asia-Pacific's Coral Triangle Initiative needs to increase its focus on the food security of the region′s marine-resource dependent people, a new study suggests. Biodiversity loss and food insecurity are two of the greatest challenges facing the region.
The paper titled Food Security and the Coral Triangle Initiative outlines the complex pathways linking marine biodiversity with food security and argues that improved social science analysis, inter-sectoral policy and management interactions are necessary if conserving marine biodiversity is to contribute towards meeting food security challenges in the region.
The study, published in Marine policy, also reviews the role of fisheries in food security in the Coral Triangle and emphasizes the key challenges and drivers of change, which are trade, urbanization, population growth and geographical differences.
The Asia-Pacific's Coral Triangle is defined by its extremely high marine biodiversity, with over 100 million people living in its coastal zones who use this biodiversity to support their livelihoods. Biodiversity and its values to society are threatened by demographic and habitat change, rising demand, intensive harvesting and climate change.
In partnership with international conservation organizations and development funders, the governments of the region′s six countries – Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste - have come together to develop the Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security.
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