New York, NY — Three leading global environmental and conservation organizations honored Indonesia’s President H.E. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono with the first-ever “Valuing Nature Award” for his leadership in recognizing the importance of natural resources and working to conserve them. Indonesia, with an area of nearly 2 million square kilometers (772,204 square miles) and a population of over 200 million, is one of the most important countries in terms of sustainability—particularly for its globally significant biodiversity, forests, and marine resources.

A television public service announcement (PSA) to raise awareness about marine resource conservation began airing in the Solomon Islands in August 2012. This PSA is the first of a three-part series to be released throughout the year, highlighting the richness of the Solomon Islands’ marine resources, the threats they face, and the programs being implemented to address these issues through the Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI).