From News Desk
The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN (FAO) have named the first World Restoration Flagships for this year, tackling pollution, unsustainable exploitation and invasive species in three continents. These initiatives are restoring almost five million hectares of marine ecosystems.
The three new flagships comprise restoration initiatives in the coral-rich Northern Mozambique Channel Region, more than 60 of Mexico’s islands and the Mar Menor in Spain, Europe’s first ecosystem with legal personhood. The winning initiatives were announced at an event during the UN Ocean Conference in Nice, France and are now eligible for UN support.
“After decades of taking the ocean for granted, we are witnessing a great shift towards restoration. But the challenge ahead of us is significant and we need everyone to play their part,” said Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP. “These World Restoration Flagships show how biodiversity protection, climate action, and economic development are deeply interconnected. To deliver our restoration goals, our ambition must be as big as the ocean we must protect.”
FAO Director-General QU Dongyu said: “The climate crisis, unsustainable exploitation practices and nature resources shrinking are affecting our blue ecosystems, harming marine life and threatening the livelihoods of dependent communities. These new World Restoration Flagships show that halting and reversing degradation is not only possible, but also beneficial to planet and people.”
The Northern Mozambique Channel
This small region boasts 35 per cent of the coral reefs found in the entire Indian Ocean and is considered its seedbed and nursery. Agricultural run-off, over-fishing and climate change threaten this economically and ecologically important stretch of ocean.
Comoros, Madagascar, Mozambique and Tanzania are already working together to manage, protect and restore almost 87,200 hectares of interconnected land- and seascapes, benefiting both nature and people.
Mexico’s Seabird Islands
Recognised worldwide as vital hotspots for biodiversity, particularly for being home to one-third of the world’s seabird species, the Mexican islands had long suffered the negative impacts of invasive species.
Efforts include removing 60 populations of invasive species and restoring seabird colonies, as well as forest landscape restoration. Coupled with implementing bio-security protocols, the comprehensive programme restores the island’s endemic richness and supports local island communities.
Spain – The Mar Menor Lagoon
With its famously transparent water, the Mar Menor lagoon is essential to the region’s identity, local tourism, small-scale fishing and unique flora and fauna, including water birds. Surrounded by one of Europe’s key agricultural regions, it is the continent’s largest saltwater lagoon, and its biodiversity has successfully adapted to conditions of extreme temperatures, high salinity, and low levels of nutrients.
However, nitrate discharges from intensive agricultural activity, as well as other polluting land and marine activities, have led to the lagoon’s rapid degradation, including the emergence of damaging algal blooms.
In 2022, the inaugural ten World Restoration Flagships were recognised as part of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, followed with the recognition of seven initiatives in 2024.
Global Perspectives... 