BY BEN BILUA
Gizo
This year’s Coral Triangle Day theme is “Sustaining the Coral Triangle Ecosystem through Blue Economy” and this aligned with the international UN World Ocean Day which calls for Revitalization of Collective Action for the Ocean.
Representative of Coral Triangle Initiative, Salome Topo said the organisation is focusing on sustainable Blue Economy to help ensure economic development of the ocean includes protecting the health of the ocean and all living creatures that lives below in doing so encourage positive contributions to true prosperity for all people at the present and into the future.
She said the ability of marine environment to provide jobs and nutrition over the long term has already under pressure from human economic activities.
“It is being further threatened by human action such as overfishing, habitat destruction, pollution, unsustainable developments and the impact of climate change,” Topo said.
She said Blue Economy is a best approach going forward as it provides a balance in human to environment benefits.
“Blue Economy means, the use of the sea and its resources for sustainable economic development and growth. In other words, it simply means any economic activity in the maritime sector whether sustainable or not,” Topo said.
She said Coral Triangle with the help of Western Province Network for Sustainable Environment will continue to advocate as well as provides trainings on the importance of Blue Economy within the province.
