VIBRANCY OF CORAL TRIANGLE CAPTURED IN NEW WWF BOOK
Jakarta, Indonesia -A collection of masterpieces from photojournalism expeditions can now be enjoyed through a book titled "The Coral Triangle." The 272-page creative communication media features photography and essays that tell the story of the diversity of cultures, people, traditions, and species around the world's center of marine biodiversity.
Hundreds of monumental images were shot by wildlife photographer duo Jürgen Freund and Stella Chiu-Freund. Over the course of 18 months, the pair traveled 6 million km2 of land and marine waters spanning six countries - Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste.
"The Coral Triangle" photo book was launched at the CTI Welcome Dinner held at the Sari Pan Pacific Hotel, Jakarta on Thursday (27/10). At the event, the Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security (CTI-CFF) announced a number of important achievements, namely the CTI-CFF website, the CTI Learning Network Portal, and the CTI-CFF History Book.
"WWF is proud to have collaborated with the Asian Development Bank and of course Freund Factory. The Coral Triangle book is the result of WWF's photo expedition in the coral triangle region, a heroic 18-month journey undertaken by award-winning photographer Jurgen Freund and his wife Stella Chiu-Freund. They explored the center of the world's marine biodiversity to document the diversity of species, people and cultures and capture the problems and threats in the region, as well as the efforts of stakeholders in preserving one of the world's living marine heritages," said WWF-Indonesia Executive Director Dr. Efransjah at the launch of the photo book.
.
Meanwhile, Head of WWF's Coral Triangle Programme Dr. Lida Pet-Soede said the aim of the expedition is to build an understanding of the relationship between nature and humans in the region, the threats they face, and how partners work together to protect the world's center of marine biodiversity.
"We want the world to know and better understand the rich marine biodiversity and culture in the coral reef triangle region. That's why we delegated one of the world's best nature photography teams to embark on this challenging journey," Lida explained.
The Coral Triangle features more than 400 photographs that capture the marine life of the coral triangle region. From coral reefs, whales, dolphins, sharks, to schools of reef fish complete with essays written by the world's conservation experts.
"The beauty of marine life is incredible, from the birds to the tiniest creatures under the sea. Aside from what has already been revealed, this phenomenal place holds a proportion of other riches that you have never imagined before," explained Stella Freund while talking about the Coral Triangle. Coral Triangle.
"We visit small islands with high levels of human population. We always see fishermen. Their lives, their wives and their children have a very close and intimate connection with the sea. It is the sea that sustains them, but ironically, their livelihood is under a lot of pressure," he added.
Dr. Lida Pet-Soede added, "The coral triangle is teeming with marine life, yet human demand for its resources is unstoppable. If this unsustainable consumption pattern is not curtailed, the lives of millions of people who depend on these marine resources will be jeopardized."
The Coral Triangle was printed in limited quantities in October 2011. To find out more about the book, visit www.panda.org/coraltriangle/photobook
