N. Sulawesi to host World Coral Reef Conference

The Jakarta Post - 

North Sulawesi is set to host the World Coral Reef Conference in 2014 after holding a similar event, the World Ocean Conference (WOC), in 2009.

"The coral reef conference is a follow-up to the WOC, as well as to the Coral Triangle Initiative," said North Sulawesi Environmental Agency head Olvie Atteng said as quoted by Antara news agency in Manado, North Sulawesi, on Wednesday.

Several activities will take place in the lead-up to the conference, he said.

A campaign will be launched on Sept. 2 to plant a million coral reefs in Manado, with regions in coastal areas expected to follow suit.

Atteng said the launch would take place in two places; one on the beach behind Mega Mall and the other on a beach in Malalayang.

He said the committee almost canceled the launch because it was unsure where to obtain coral reefs for the campaign, but the plan now could proceed, thanks to researchers from Indonesian Institute of Sciences, among other parties, who had helped with the coral reefs.

Atteng said the campaign team planned to plant over 3,000 square meters of coral reefs in Manado.

Posted via http://maritime-news.posterous.com Maritime-News posterous