Coral Triangle Day

The Coral Triangle Day held annually on June 9 is a massive celebration of the Coral Triangle, the world's epicentre of marine biodiversity, which is the biggest reef system that covers almost 132,636 km of area in the Western Pacific Ocean. This reef system passes through 6 countries- Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste, and the Solomon Islands.

This celebration is not exclusive to these six nations though and includes other countries that benefit from the Coral Triangle’s rich marine resources.

Coral Triangle holds just 1.5% of the total ocean area across the globe, but the world's 30% of coral reefs contribute to this reef system. This place is known to have the highest coral diversity, approximately 76% of the world's coral species. This reef system is home to a huge range of coral reef fishes worldwide.  

This triangular-shaped coral reef area plays a vital role in marine diversity, but unfortunately, it is under threat. The coral triangle countries (CT6) came forward to work together to protect and conserve marine diversity in the coral triangle region, which is known as the epicentre of marine diversity.

The Emergence of Coral Triangle Day

Coral Triangle Day was established by CTI-CFF (Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries, and Food Security) to conserve coral reef diversity. CTI-CFF is a multilateral partnership of the six countries across the region, i.e., CT6, that works together to save marine resources, coastal areas, oceanic biodiversity, etc., from the adverse effects on environmental pollution. The day was celebrated on 9th June 2012 for the first time in conjunction with World Oceans Day. CTI-CFF observed this day to raise awareness about marine conservation, mainly focusing on the coral triangle region.

Coral Triangle Day is celebrated every year in different locations of CT6 countries, highlighting the protection of coral reefs in this region. On this day, individuals, organizations, etc., contribute through various activities such as coastal clean-up tasks, planting mangrove trees, beach parties, fashion shows, contests, ocean film festivals, seafood exhibitions, etc.