Ambassador Kristie Kenney announced the fresh aid during a regional conference on the so-called 'Coral Triangle'.

The six million square-kilometre expanse of water and coastline where the Pacific and Indian Oceans meet contains the greatest concentration of marine organisms anywhere in the world, scientists say.

The area, which is home to 30 per cent of the world's coral reefs and three-quarters of known coral species, is under threat from pollution, unsustainable fishing practices and climate change, Ms Kenney told the conference.

The assistance - worth US$39.45 million- will go to the Coral Triangle Initiative, a consortium formed to promote sustainable fisheries and coastal resource management programmes in East Timor, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, and the Solomon Islands.

'The Coral Triangle Initiative builds on three decades of assistance that the US government has provided for coastal resources management in the Asia-Pacific,' Ms Kenney said.

The conference was also told that an agreement binding all six nations to protect the coral triangle will be signed by national leaders in Indonesia next year.

'While coral reefs and mangroves may be static, migratory species, pollution, climate change and illegal fishing do not respect national boundaries,' Philippine Environment Secretary Lito Atienza told the conference.

Mr Atienza said the agreement was a 'grand experiment' to show that neighbours could work together to conserve their common natural resources. -- AFP