The Minister for Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology Hon. John Moffat Fugui says the early development of a Climate Change Adaptation plan is crucial for the Coral Triangle Region.
The Coral Triangle Region consists of Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Timor Leste, Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands, also known as CT6.Addressing participants at the opening of the 2nd Regional Exchange on Climate Change Adaptation Conference on Sunday in Honiara, Hon. Fugui said the Region-wide Early Action Plan on Climate Change Adaptation is a Priority Goal of the CT6 Region.
The objective of this Second Regional Exchange on Climate Change Adaptation is to develop a Region-wide Early Action Plan on Climate Change Adaptation for the near-shore marine and coastal environment and small Island Ecosystems.
Climate Change is continuing to threaten world environments and the CT6 region which is home to the world's largest coral species is concerned about the threats to coral reefs and fish stocks.
"The CT6 region depends on Coral Reefs and the Coral Reef Fishes for survival. As our forebears lived in coastal communities; today, we continue to live in coastal communities. We will, for the foreseeable future, continue to live in coastal communities. In a major way, the richness and natural fecundity of our coastal resources and seas, determine the very course and destiny of our lives," Hon. Fugui said.
Minister Fugui also explained that the common challenge to the CT6 region is our Environment which is being threatened by our daily activities.
"We have crowded communities because of rapid population increase. Unsustainable development practices continue to threaten our environment and more recently Climate change also threatens our environment and we ought to be blamed for the destruction of our islands, our reefs, our mangroves and our lagoons. We are responsible for destroying our ancestral connections to Mother Earth," Hon. Fugui said.
He also stressed that joint efforts to solve these environmental problems are better addressed now than later.
Solomon Islands is glad to contribute to the development of a Region-wide Early Action Plan (REAP) on Climate Change Adaptation.
The development of a Region-wide Early Action Plan on Climate Change Adaptation is a priority target of Goal 4 of the Regional Plan of Action and each country's respective National Plans of Action.
Prior to the conference opening on Sunday, participants went on a field trip to Gizo, Western Province.