hina, Indonesia sign cooperation agreement on ocean conservation

China and Indonesia have signed a cooperation agreement on marine conservation and ocean monitoring and they have called on other members of the Economic Cooperation forum, Asia-Pacific (APEC) to join the Convention for the pursuit of sustainable development, the Xinhua news agency reported . Indonesian Marine Affairs and Fisheries (MMAF) Minister Sharif Cicip Sutardjo believes that his country is ready to motivate greater work on conservation of marine resources. Some ocean and fisheries issues were discussed at APEC 2013 including the provision of fish as food and animal protein sources (food security), connectivity, provision of employment, poverty reduction and the role of the ocean in support of economic growth. “Mainstreaming ocean and fisheries issues are very important in the Asia-Pacific region, primarily related to the tourism sector, the development of alternative energy, transportation, food security, sustainable trade of marine and fisheries products and the supporting plan and implementation,” he said. Mainstreaming ocean-related issues needs to be pursued, says a statement to APEC Economic Leaders, in order to make a stronger foundation for cooperation on ocean and fisheries, he opined. To support the plan, Indonesia has proposed a concrete action work plan for mainstreaming ocean-related issues for each member of APEC. The work plan is expected to be a reference for each APEC member economy for the development of ocean and fisheries sector in the region.