SSME
The SSME forms the apex of the Coral Triangle, an area which contains the maximum recorded coral diversity - 500 of the world's 793 species of reef-building corals- in the world. By comparison, the Great Barrier Reef lies in the area where coral diversity ranges from 300-399 coral species and the Caribbean in the region of less than 100 species (Veron 2000).
URL: http://www.sulusulawesi.net
| Outstanding biodiversity |
| The SSME forms the apex of the Coral Triangle, an area which contains the maximum recorded coral diversity - 500 of the world's 793 species of reef-building corals- in the world. By comparison, the Great Barrier Reef lies in the area where coral diversity ranges from 300-399 coral species and the Caribbean in the region of less than 100 species (Veron 2000). |
| Sustaining human communities |
| The survival and prosperity of the human communities in this part of the world depend heavily on fishing and tourism, which in turn depend on the ecological well-being of the SSME. The coastal areas on Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines that are linked to the SSME are inhabited by about 35 million people from at least 50 indigenous cultural groups whose lives, cultures, and traditions are nourished by the natural wealth of the SSME (Cola et.al. 2001). Land use, from human habitation to food production and other development activities, is crucial to the developing economies of the three nations. |
| Human and biological communities at risk |
| The well-being of the human communities of the ecoregion is inextricably linked to the well-being of the biological communities and ecological processes in the ecoregion. This is particularly true in the case of the poorer human communities that have few alternative resources. |
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