Indonesia on Monday urged the world to take action on ecosystem management and climate change that threatened oceans.
"These actions need to be extended from the global community of nations right down to each and every human being," said the Minister of Marine and Fisheries Freddy Numberi in the opening speech of the World Ocean Conference in Manado.
Numberi stressed that the WOC should focus on oceans and climate change because the coupling issues really needed to be accorded a high priority, recognizing a significant proportion of economic development, food security and livelihoods were reliant on healthy oceans and marine system.
The WOC was considered to mainstreaming the climate change policies in oceans governance and to exploring opportunities to enhance adaptation capacity.
The minister encouraged that the world should work individually or collectively and international organization to enhance scientific activities on the marine environment and marine biodiversity to develop ways and means of adaption to climate change.
"We must work together to promote and advocate for better understanding of the linkage between oceans and climate change and the adverse impact of climate change on ecosystems, marine biodiversity, and coastal communities in Small Island Developing States which are under high risk of being submerged with sea level rise," said the minister.
He also demanded the world to strengthen partnership and networks for capacity building and information exchange on climate change related issues and concerns, including planning, implementation and monitoring of adaption and mitigation strategies. The conference is held between May 11-15, 2009 and would discuss the global concern for its future amidst all uncertainties brought by global warming, polar ice melt, high sea level rise, changing weather patterns, sinking islands, acidification of the sea, coral reef destruction and other impacts of uncontrolled emission of green house gases.
(Xinhua News Agency May 11, 2009)
