Sulu-Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion (SSME)

Sulu-Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion - Apex of the Coral Triangle
Imagine diving into a hyper-diverse underwater world. Well, imagine no more. Nowhere in the world can one find a richer variety of coral reef plant and animal life than in the Sulu-Sulawesi Ecoregion. Covering an area of around 950,000km², this global centre of marine biodiversity is surrounded by Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines. 

Biodiversity and Resources: Ecological and economic importance
This ecoregion - made up of the Sulu Sea, Sulawesi Sea and the inland seas of the Philippines has more than 400 species of corals, 650 species of reef fishes, including unusual fishes like the coelacanth, 6 of the world's 8 species of marine turtles, endangered marine mammals, and more than 400 species of algae and 16 species of seagrass.

An important source of food and livelihood for countless subsistence and commercial fishermen, the seas of this ecoregion are a crucial spawning ground for commercially important fish species like the yellow fin, skip jack, and big eye tuna, as well as prawn.

Conservation Challenges: A sea of pressure
Many reefs in the ecoregion suffer from dynamite fishing, overfishing, coastal development, sedimentation, and coral bleaching. Human population density, amongst the highest in the world, leads to a severe impact on marine ecosystems from overexploitation, pollution and coastal development.

The Malaysian SSME: Globally important priority areas
Three priority areas of global biodiversity significance have been identified for conservation in the Malaysian portion of the Sulu-Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion (SSME): 

1.    Kudat-Banggi
2.    Trusan to Kinabatangan (including Turtle Islands and Sandakan Bay)
3.    Semporna Peninsula (including Tawau Bay and Darvel Bay)  

WWF-Malaysia is working in these areas to develop networks of marine protected areas, conserve one of the world’s largest populations of sea turtles, and promote sustainable fisheries, especially the live reef fish trade.