The German government has established a seven million-euro special fund to support the implementation of protection and conservation initiatives within the Sulu-Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion (SSME), a shared ecosystem of Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. According to Department of Environment and Natural Resources ( DENR) Secretary Ramon Paje, a memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed between the DENR and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH ( GIZ), on behalf of Germany’s Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety, for the provision of the special fund. DENR’s Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB) pointed out that the country will initially get 450,000 euros from the fund.

De Vera, E. B. (2015, January 4). 7-M euro fund tapped for Sulu-Sulawesi marine conservation. Manila Bulletin, p. 5.