Coral Triangle Initiative

The Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) is a multilateral partnership founded on the commitment of the six Coral Triangle countries to safeguard coastal and marine resources and communities. Despite increased investment and efforts by governments and organizations to improve management, the condition of the resources continues to decline. Coral reefs and fisheries, the source of invaluable ecological and socioeconomic benefits, are being subjected to increasing threats from population growth in coastal areas, overfishing, and changes in oceanographic conditions, including increase in sea surface temperature and ocean acidification, resulting from climate change.

Regional commitment and cooperation is expected to catalyze, expand, and sustain national and local level implementation efforts through the CTI Regional Plan of Action. Within the broad framework of the CTI Regional Plan of Action, the six countries have developed National Plans of Action, and are working together to identify and implement those actions that require regional cooperation. CTI thus encompasses a distinctively regional approach, building on country-driven priorities and actions.

The US CTI Support Program represents the US Government’s commitment to support the efforts of the six Coral Triangle countries (CT6) Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste. The Program is composed of team members from USAID, the US State Department and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and projects funded by these entities. USAID Asia serves as the program lead and provides overall management of the program in coordination with USAID Washington D.C. and other key USAID missions in the Philippines, Indonesia and Timor-Leste, and USAID Pacific as well as the U.S. State Department. USAID Asia supports implementation through the Coral Triangle Support Partnership (CTSP) implemented by a consortium of NGOs composed of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), The Nature Conservancy (TNC), and Conservation International (CI). The U.S. Department of State supported the CTI Regional Secretariat in Jakarta, Indonesia through a grant provided to the NGO Consortium and managed by TNC and continues to support CTI efforts through political support and other engagement.