About
The United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021–2030 (the “UN Decade”) is designed to inspire a global movement in support of preventing, halting, and reversing the degradation of ecosystems worldwide. Within the UN Decade, a Multi-Partner Trust Fund (MPTF) has been established to provide catalytic support with e.g., the establishment of on-the-ground Flagship Initiatives to advance key local restoration activities, while highlighting global best practices for scale-up and replication. These Flagship Initiatives “should be the first, best, or most promising example of ecosystem restoration, adding value and inspiring others to undertake or accelerate restoration at significant scale”.
Those Initiatives are well aligned with the mid-term review of the Small Island Developing States Accelerated Modalities of Action (SAMOA) Pathway in 2019 which sets out a clear call for “the scaling up of investments for economic growth and diversification, including in ocean-based economies (…), to serve as a means of reducing vulnerability and building resilience”. Indeed, SIDS are home to a large portion of planet’s marine biodiversity: they host the most diverse and unique ecosystems in the world, are of strategic importance for migratory species, and are home to and host a high percentage of endemic species. However, island biodiversity is fragile, under threat, and exacerbated by unique SIDS’ structural and unique vulnerabilities and challenges which are putting them on the forefront of multiple crises and undermining SIDS’ capacities to implement the 2030 Agenda. Despite the challenges faced, SIDS have been leading by example and been frontrunners in nature conservation.
A 2020 analysis conducted for the High-Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy found that each dollar invested in good ocean management is estimated to yield, on average, five dollars in return in economic, and particularly environmental and human health benefits. Restoring and conserving fragile marine and coastal island ecosystems can significantly strengthen and diversify SIDS’ economies, making them more resilient to future shocks, including climate change. Strengthening the ability of SIDS to further lead by example in restoring and conserving nature-based assets, while spearheading national-level sustainable blue economy transition, as large ocean states will be strategic and inspiring for other countries and a priority to sustain the Planet.
Under these perspectives, three SIDS across the 3 regions (Comoros for the AIS region, St Lucia for the Caribbean, and Vanuatu for the Pacific) have joined forces and developed the SIDS Restoration Flagship with the support of UNEP, UNDESA, and FAO. During 2022 World Restoration Day, the SIDS Restoration Flagship, through the Government of St Lucia, was recognized among the First 10 Global Restoration Flagships.
OBJECTIVE AND SCOPE
OBJECTIVE: The SIDS Restoration Flagship aims to strengthen SIDS’ capacity in integrating marine and coastal ecosystem restoration and conservation into economic recovery and sustainable growth through a connected “ridge to reef” approach. The Flagship will therefore address the economy-environment nexus by focusing on the innovative approaches to policy making, financing, and management of ocean and coastal ecosystems which are needed to transition towards a sustainable blue economy. The SIDS Restoration Flagship’s short movie is available here.
TECHNICAL SCOPE: The SIDS Restoration Flagship is divided into 3 interlinked components: local, national, and regional/global.
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SITE-LEVEL RESTORATION WITH LOCAL COMMUNITIES AND BUSINESSES.
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This national-level component aims to strengthen the capacities of local communities and businesses to better understand restoration economic benefits and fully engage in, capitalize on restoration activities through the development of nature-based businesses, and alternative livelihoods at site-level.
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ENABLING ENVIRONMENT FOR RESTORATION AND BLUE ECONOMY TRANSITION.
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This component is designed to foster the strengthening or establishment of the enabling conditions required at national level to facilitate the expansion of restoration activities at the national and the transition to a blue economy. This component includes assessment and consolidation of existing knowledge, programs, policy, and plans to identify opportunities for upscaling restoration opportunities which will inform and enable blue economy transitions.
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SIDS-SIDS PEER LEARNING & COOPERATION ON BEST RESTORATION PRACTICES.
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Through regional and global outreach, this component encourages SIDS-SIDS peer learning and cooperation on blue economy and coastal ecosystem restoration. Based on the results of components 1 and 2, it will create a space for the identification, uptake, and replication of common solutions on SIDS ecosystem restoration/conservation for blue economic recovery and growth.
GEOGRAPHICAL SCOPE: GEOGRAPHICAL SCOPE: Coastal sites that will be supported by the SIDS Restoration Flagship and the size of marine areas targeted for restoration to deliver long-term biodiversity conservation*:
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Comoros: Mitsamiouli-Ndroude, Coelacanthe, Shisiwani, Moheli National Park. Areas covering 82.000 ha.
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Saint Lucia: Point Sables Environmental Protected Area, East Coast proposed PA, terrestrial watersheds. Areas covering 21.000 ha.
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Vanuatu: Maskelyne Island, Gnuna’Pele. Areas covering 11.900 ha.
* as defined in Target 3 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework
APPROACH AND POTENTIAL
There have been a significant number of ecosystem restoration and conservation initiatives across the three SIDS regions, but most of these initiatives are faced with recurrent challenges that are undermining successful upscaling and replication of efforts. The SIDS Restoration Flagship will particularly focus on 3 recurrent common barriers and gaps:
Poor Foundational Science: Data gathering in coastal and marine environments is difficult and expensive leading to data and knowledge gaps in ocean science. The science-policy interface is weak leading to poor evidence-based decision-making, which is compounded by a lack of use of data-oriented decision-support tools;
Limited Financing: Marine and coastal restoration and conservation is underfunded at multiple scales. Globally, Sustainable Development Goal 14 is the least funded of the UN SDGs. Private sector investment for blue growth within SIDS is limited. For non-LDC SIDS, there is limited access to concessional financing.
Lack of Integration: Strategic actions needed to successfully upscale restoration and conservation initiatives are lacking. There is weak and in some instances no integration, peer-learning, and coordination across sectors, actors, and scales, leading to an ineffective ridge-to-reef and seascape approaches.
To address those challenges, the SIDS Restoration Flagship is guided by the Sustainable Blue Economy Finance Principles and the UNEP-led Sustainable Blue Economy Transition Framework, jointly enabling and de-risking investments, which provides a foundational keystone to invest in the ocean economy. The Flagship also fully contributes to the 10 principles of ecosystem restoration. Furthermore, the SIDS Restoration Flagship’s approach is also based on the SIDS-SIDS peer-learning and cooperation potential. Sharing common environmental features and development challenges, SIDS have been pioneering solutions that could be constructively replicated and expanded from one SIDS to another. Unlocking SIDS’ blue economy potential by connecting ecosystem conservation & and restoration to economic development and recovery is the approach used by the SIDS Restoration Flagship to transform SIDS’ challenges into opportunities and upscaling/replicating their marine ecosystem restoration/conservation efforts.
BUDGET AND TIMEFRAME
Through UN Decade MPTF support, the SIDS Restoration Flagship has an initial budget of US$5 million for a period of 36 months (Phase 1). Designed with the potential of replication, the SIDS Restoration Flagship Phase 2 could be envisaged with interested financial partners and Friends of the SIDS Coalition for Nature to expand identified restoration best practices at national level in the targeted SIDS and/or expand the approach to other SIDS.
PARTNERSHIP
The SIDS Restoration Flagship will be implemented by the Governments of St Lucia, Vanuatu, and Comoros alongside the SIDS Coalition for Nature with the support of UNDESA, UNEP, and FAO. Further partnership arrangements at national levels are envisaged with national organizations to ensure country ownership and support execution.
Resolutions and Governance Mechanisms Connected to UNEP’s Work for SIDS
“Related to” Topics (Climate Action, Pollution Action, etc.,)
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Climate Action
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Nature Action
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Pollution Action
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Disasters & Conflict
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Freshwater
