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The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) have announced three new World Restoration Flagships, spotlighting large-scale ocean and coastal restoration efforts on three continents.
The World Restoration Flagship awards are part of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021–2030), a global initiative aiming to prevent, halt, and reverse ecosystem degradation with a bigger ambition to restore one billion hectares worldwide by 2030.
Flagship status is awarded through a rigorous process based on 15 evaluation criteria, aligned with the 10 Restoration Principles of the UN Decade.
“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.
These initiatives—unveiled during the 3rd UN Ocean Conference in Nice, France—will restore nearly five million hectares of marine ecosystems, an area about the size of Costa Rica. They join a collective of ten recognized in 2022 and seven in 2024.
The 2025 flagships are from Africa, Latin America, and Europe, tackling pollution, invasive species, and unsustainable resource exploitation.
They also represent a global commitment to reversing degradation while improving livelihoods and biodiversity.
“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 tothe planet and people,” commented QU Dongyu, Director-General of FAO.
1. Northern Mozambique Channel: Africa’s Coral Nursery Fights Back
Home to 35% of the Indian Ocean’s coral reefs, the Northern Mozambique Channel is a biodiversity hotspot and a critical resource for surrounding communities in Comoros, Madagascar, Mozambique, and Tanzania.
However, agricultural runoff, overfishing, and climate stress have taken a heavy toll.
In response, regional governments, the World Wide Fund, and UN agencies are working together to restore 87,200 hectares of interconnected land and seascapes.
Restoration actions include:
- Rehabilitating mangrove forests and coral reefs
- Establishing restoration corridors
- Improving fisheries management
- Integrating indigenous practices
By 2030, the initiative aims to restore 4.85 million hectares, improving well-being, creating 2,000+ jobs, and establishing 12 community enterprises. Household income in target areas is projected to increase by 30%.
Notably, Madagascar’s mangroves alone already store over 300 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent, comparable to the annual electricity use of over 62 million U.S. homes.
The Northern Mozambique Channel’s inclusion marks a vital step forward for African-led conservation and climate resilience.
By integrating local knowledge, biodiversity goals, and sustainable livelihoods, the project exemplifies the region’s capacity to lead the global blue economy transition.
2. Mexico’s Seabird Islands: Turning the Tide on Invasive Species
Mexico’s Pacific and Gulf islands are home to one-third of the world’s seabird species, yet decades of damage from invasive species put many at risk.
In 1999, the National Commission for Natural Protected Areas (CONANP) and Grupo de Ecología y Conservación de Islas (GECI) launched a bold restoration programme.
With support from civil society, academia, and local communities, they have:
- Removed 60 invasive species populations
- Restored 85% of extirpated seabird colonies
- Rehabilitated forest and island ecosystems
The programme now covers almost 100 islands and will complete the restoration of over 100,000 hectares by 2030, equivalent to nearly 1 million hectares of continental land in biodiversity value.
Over 300 endemic species benefit from this work.
Local communities are reaping the gains through ecotourism, sustainable fisheries, and improved resilience to extreme weather.
3. Spain’s Mar Menor: Europe’s First Ecosystem with Legal Rights
The Mar Menor, Europe’s largest saltwater lagoon, is vital to regional identity, tourism, and fishing.
Its biodiversity has uniquely adapted to extreme conditions—yet nitrate pollution from nearby intensive agriculture has triggered ecological collapse, including toxic algal blooms and fish die-offs.
A major turning point came when more than 500,000 citizens mobilized to support a Popular Legislative Initiative, granting the lagoon legal personhood.
This citizen-led success was reinforced by court actions and government intervention.
Through the Framework of Priority Actions to Recover the Mar Menor (MAPMM), Spain is:
- Restoring 8,770 hectares (7% of the lagoon’s basin)
- Constructing a wide green belt
- Creating wetlands and cleaning polluted mining sites
- Supporting sustainable agriculture
- Enhancing flood risk management and community participation
One intervention alone—the green belt—is expected to absorb over 82,256 tonnes of CO₂ by 2040, equal to annual emissions from 14,000 Spaniards.
This effort contributes to Spain’s goal of restoring 870,000 hectares nationwide by 2030.
