Which living person do you most admire?
Vanadana Shiva, she is a very vocal Indian activist. She is involved in seed sovereignty; creating seed banks. We are losing the bio-diversity in our food. She believes farmers should have more control over their livelihoods and not allow businesses to have the control.
And who or what do you most despise?
The people who are most misguided, the corporate barons. They do not focus on anything else besides profit. But if we do not have a planet, we do not have a business. What is the point in being in a fossil based or chemical based business if it is gonna destroy the planet? Ultimately you are destroying your market.
If you could make just one global policy what would it be?
Sustainability. All companies, all buildings have to prove that they are sustainable because the only way for the world to continue and for all of us living on earth to have a good healthy lifestyle is to have the world working on a planet / people / profit basis. Most companies make profit at the cost of environment or society and it does not make sense. The prices we pay today do not take into account social and environmental costs. We need to create a whole new economic model.
What single experience of the Coral Triangle do you most remember?
My trip to Komodo Island. I took my family and we stayed on a live aboard boat for three days. We snorkelled and saw the amazing corals and fish, so much can be seen under the water. I felt so proud to be part of this beautiful place. I also felt sad as even though this is a marine park there is still encroachment.
What worries you?
I do not know the solution for Indonesia, for the Coral Triangle, with its growing population. I attended a Coral Triangle meeting about the livelihoods of fishermen, they are having some of the toughest times, with fish populations declining, the encroachment on their fishing areas [by industrial boats]. It is really sad, so difficult for them. How do you solve that? We want our fishermen to still catch fish to feed their families.
What does the Coral Triangle look like 20 years from now?
It depends what we do, which is why I support a variety of organisations that are creating solutions like the
Coral Triangle Centre,
Greenpeace and
The Marine Foundation. It depends on whether Indonesians can realise on a conscious level what we have and then take steps towards sustainabiliy so we can continue to depend on it for food & resources. This requires a multi stakeholder approach. We need to educate the consumer. What does it mean to eat the wrong fish? More people need to speak up, from government to consumers applying international pressure. Tourism is a big vessel for change and pressure for sustainability. We need to encourage the Ministry of Tourism and the creative economy to protect the Coral Triangle through eco-tourism. If we are successful in 20 years time we will still have the resources. Keep the vision!