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FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
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INFO RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
RHEHAAA/WHITE HOUSE WASHDC
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 3050
RUEHML/AMEMBASSY MANILA 3244
RUEHKL/AMEMBASSY KUALA LUMPUR 2496
RUEHPB/AMEMBASSY PORT MORESBY 3994
RUEHDT/AMEMBASSY DILI 0978

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 001764 
 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR U/S FORE, U/S DOBRIANSKY, U/S GLASSMAN, A/S MCMURRAY 
AND SCIENCE ADVISER FEDEROFF 
TREASURY FOR SECRETARY PAULSON 
WHITE HOUSE FOR CEQ CONNAUGHTON 
NOAA FOR ADMINISTRATOR LAUTENBACHER 
STATE ALSO FOR EAP/MTS AND OES 
 
E.O. 12598: N/A 
TAGS: SENV TBIO EAID ECON PREL ID
SUBJECT: A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO ADVANCE OUR ENVIRONMENTAL, 
SCIENTIFIC AND DIPLOMATIC AGENDA 
 
FROM AMBASSADOR CAMERON HUME 
 
¶1. (U) Summary.  The upcoming World Oceans Conference, Coral 
Triangle Initiative Summit, and possible voyage of NOAA's Okeanos 
Explorer present unique opportunities to advance our environmental, 
scientific and diplomatic agendas in Indonesia and beyond.  We 
should shape these events to advance our climate change policy 
objectives, improve our scientific knowledge of an underexplored 
part of the world, build awareness of the importance the Coral 
Triangle's ocean and coastal resources, and improve the perception 
of our commitment to the environment.  Focus and attention will 
allow us to take advantage of many of these opportunities.  But we 
need resources to fund the Okeanos Explorer.  Our USAID mission is 
investigating a $500,000 contribution and we are also exploring 
public-private partnerships.  End summary. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
May 2009: The CTI Summit and World Oceans Conference 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
 
¶2. (U) The Coral Triangle (encompassing Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua 
New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands, and Timor-Leste) is the 
epicenter of marine biodiversity on earth.  But it is at risk from 
destructive fishing practices, poor coastal resource management, 
illegal and unmanaged logging, and climate change.  With input from 
The Nature Conservancy, Indonesian President Yudhoyono developed the 
Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI), which was formally announced at the 
December 2007 climate change conference in Bali.  The CTI will 
address environmental threats to coastal and marine resources while 
alleviating the poverty that is the root cause of many destructive 
activities.  President Bush endorsed the CTI proposal at the 2007 
APEC Summit.  And with projected funding of $32 million over five 
years, the U.S. is the largest bilateral donor. 
 
¶3. (U) The respective heads of state will formally launch the Coral 
Triangle Initiative May 15, 2009, at a summit in Manado, Indonesia. 
The launch will take place immediately following the first World 
Oceans Conference, another Indonesian initiative.  This 
international conference, which will run May 11-15, 2009, will focus 
on how oceans influence and are influenced by climate change, 
culminating in the signing of the Manado Declaration.  The Manado 
Declaration, currently in preparation, will highlight the scientific 
interplay between changes in ocean chemistry and temperature, 
climate variability and weather patterns, and fishing stocks; the 
oceans' role as carbon sinks and how they can be used for carbon 
sequestration; and how governments can collaborate on both 
adaptation and mitigation.  The Manado Declaration is expected to 
set a global oceans policy framework for regional ocean management 
efforts like the Coral Triangle.  Although we understand there is 
concern in Washington about whether the Manado Declaration will 
compete with the UN climate change process, Indonesian officials 
stress that the declaration will complement, not undermine, the 
success of the 2007 Bali conference.  And Indonesia is open to U.S. 
suggestions on what to include in (and exclude from) the Manado 
Declaration. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
Adding Value to our Efforts: the Okeanos Explorer 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
¶4. (U) Our public and financial support for the Coral Triangle 
Initiative as well as our active participation in the World Oceans 
Conference will be widely recognized by marine experts as a 
commitment to sustainable ocean management.  But how can we use the 
Manado Declaration and the CTI Summit to make real contributions to 
science, improve public perception of our environmental leadership, 
and further President Bush's growing "Blue Legacy."  This Mission 
believes a voyage by NOAA's newest exploration and research vessel 
Okeanos Explorer timed with the conference would create immediate, 
sustainable scientific and public diplomacy benefits.  Minister of 
Marine Affairs and Fisheries Freddie Numberi has invited the Okeanos 
Explorer to attend the conference, a critical step as Indonesia has 
historically refused permit requests for marine research. 
 
¶5. (U) When it is fully outfitted next year, the Okeanos Explorer 
will be the most advanced marine exploration and research vessel in 
 
JAKARTA 00001764  002 OF 002 
 
 
the world.  Remote-controlled vehicles will be able to plunge to the 
depth of six kilometers.  The ship's "telepresence" technology 
allows scientists in remote command centers around the world to 
share in and guide the exploration and to analyze the results in 
real time.  The ship will collect critical scientific information to 
support the Coral Triangle Initiative.  For example, the Okeanos, in 
partnership with Indonesian research vessels, could conduct baseline 
surveys that correlate health of coral and other marine flora and 
fauna with oceanographic and bathymetric data.  Through this 
collaboration, the voyage will teach Coral Triangle scientists 
important scientific skills to build their capacity for innovative 
research. 
 
¶6. (U) There is also a secondary but still important public 
diplomacy element.  The Okeanos Explorer's advanced image-capture, 
sampling, and communications systems will enable researchers and the 
public to view flora, fauna, and physical undersea features that 
would be otherwise inaccessible.  These images could be beamed to 
the World Oceans Conference and CTI Summit to provide real-time 
exploration imagery of areas never before seen by man. 
 
---------------- 
Making it Happen 
---------------- 
 
¶7. (U) Getting the world's best exploration and research vessel to 
make its maiden voyage to the World Ocean Conference while 
conducting vital research in the most diverse marine area is too 
good an opportunity to pass up.  But there are obstacles.  Some are 
technical and logistical, but it is expected they can be overcome. 
A more immediate obstacle is in paying for the voyage.  NOAA has no 
international budget for this unexpected opportunity, which would 
cost $2-3 million.  We are exploring a number of possibilities, 
including: 
 
-- Use of some of the $32 million in U.S. funding for the Coral 
Triangle Initiative to support scientific research and capacity 
building; 
 
-- Collaboration with a media outlet who might be willing to sponsor 
some of the costs in return for being able to get footage of 
never-before explored ocean tracts; 
 
-- Public-private partnerships with companies with an interest in 
marine conservation; and 
 
-- Foundation funding for specific research projects. 
 
We are also willing to devote our own resources to help fund this. 
Our bilateral USAID mission is investigating a $500,000 contribution 
to the Okeanos Explorer to support Indonesia's desire for better 
oceans research and management of its fisheries and marine-protected 
areas. 
 
¶8. (U) We need your help to capitalize on the opportunities 
presented by the Manado Declaration, World Oceans Conference, the 
Coral Triangle Initiative Summit and the Okeanos Explorer.  From a 
policy standpoint, we will work closely with you to ensure that we 
advance U.S. interests at both events.  To make this important 
opportunity a reality, I need your ideas on how to raise enough 
funds to pay for the Okeanos Explorer voyage to Indonesia.  I would 
appreciate your advice on whether there are any official resources 
available for this initiative as well as ideas on foundations, 
corporations or nongovernmental organizations to approach for 
funding. 
 
 
HUME