BelitongToday, Tanjungpandan – Deputy Minister for Coordination of International Economic Cooperation at the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs, Edi Prio Pambudi, said countries in Southeast Asia must implement blue economy to prevent damage to marine ecosystems.
“ASEAN is obliged to maintain blue economy by preventing various natural destructions in the sea,” he said during the 2023 ASEAN HLTF-EI at Sheraton Belitung, Thursday (3/2).
According to him, it is very important to implement the blue economy within the Southeast Asian regional.
According to him, the ocean has now received great attention to be developed in the region.
“Significant changes are occurring in the oceans due to climate change, overexploitation, destruction of marine habitats, and pollution,” he added.
Pambudi stated that oceans in Southeast Asia are estimated to have marine wealth of up to USD2.5 trillion per year.
The potential of the sea is not only marine wealth but also bioenergy, transportation, biotechnology, and tourism.
Therefore, ASEAN is obliged to maintain the blue economy by preventing various natural destructions in the sea.
“At the 2021 ASEAN summit, all ASEAN members agreed to implement a blue economy. Belitung is known as producer of kaolin, tin, and silica sand. However, it is also known as Unesco Global Geopark with its large rocks and beautiful beaches,” he explained.
He added that Belitung also has very clean air and very low pollution levels. This shows that we must balance mineral extraction with nature conservation.
“The ASEAN economic task force has proposed the development of the ASEAN blue economy as a new motor,” he said.
With the beautiful atmosphere of Belitung, Pambudi continued, he wanted to introduce “Meetcation”, which is a meeting and vacation.
“We really appreciate your presence and please enjoy the beauty of Belitung Island while discussing blue economy framework,” he explained. (Mg2)
