Asian, African representatives call for awareness on protecting oceans

Delegates attending events of the 60th Commemoration of Asian-African Conference held a forum here Tuesday on sustainable development of maritime resources and protection of ocean environment.

Chairing the forum, Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Indroyono Soesilo said seas and oceans of the planet are unfortunately being subjected to countless illegal activities.

"These activities are affecting the ocean and coast ecosystem. Unsustainable fishing practices harm the world fish stock. Many stocks have been overexploited and are depleted," said the minister.

As a side event for the commemoration events, the forum gathered representatives whose countries also belong to the Indian Ocean Rim Association or Small Island Developing States. The participants exchanged ideas on maritime policies as well as challenges in managing seas and oceans.

Speaking during a keynote speech, Soesilo said linkages and connectivity using seas and oceans had truly facilitated the turning of the world's global economy, with 90 percent of the world's trade being carried through strategic sealanes of communication.

However, the fast development in offshore oil and gas industry, and sea-bed activities can create an impact to ocean environment. Accidental oil spills can also have acute effects on the marine and coastal ecosystems.

"The global marine environment and its resources are being degraded, destroyed and overexploited. This is affecting the coastal inhabitants and communities worldwide that depend on marine areas for food and livelihood," Soesilo said.

The minister noted that the international society needs to establish a global program to prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, in particular from land-based activities, including marine debris and nutrient pollution.

Talking about the maritime topic, participants at the forum acknowledged that oceans require focused attention due to its complex nature and significant contributions to the three dimensions of sustainable development, namely socially, economically and environmentally. Endi