UN names first ocean restoration flagships, aims to revive marine ecosystems across 3 continents – Nsemkeka

UN names first ocean restoration flagships, aims to revive marine ecosystems across 3 continents – Nsemkeka

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) have announced the first World Restoration Flagships for the year, which aim to fix damage caused by pollution, overuse of natural resources, and harmful species in Asia, Africa, and the Americas.

Together, the restoration initiatives will help bring back nearly five million hectares of marine ecosystems, an area as large as Costa Rica. The announcement was made at the ongoing 3rd UN Ocean Conference, co-hosted by France and Costa Rica in Nice, France.

The newly selected flagships include a coral restoration project in the Northern Mozambique Channel Region, protection and restoration of over 60 islands in Mexico, and efforts to restore the Mar Menor in Spain, which is the first ecosystem in Europe to be granted legal personhood.

Executive Director of UNEP, Inger Andersen, said the world is now moving in a better direction after many years of ignoring the health of the oceans.

“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.

According to her, the World Restoration Flagships show that protecting nature, fighting climate change, and building strong economies are all connected. She added that to meet global restoration goals, the world needs to aim high with ambitions as vast as the ocean it is trying to protect.

“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.”

The World Restoration Flagship awards are part of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, led by UNEP and the FAO. The goal is to stop and reverse damage to ecosystems across the world on every continent and in every ocean. The awards highlight outstanding projects that support the global target to restore one billion hectares of land and sea, an area larger than China, by the year 2030.

The Northern Mozambique Channel boosts of 35% coral reefs

One of the selected regions is in the Northern Mozambique Channel, which is home to 35 percent of all coral reefs in the Indian Ocean. This small but vital area is often called the ocean’s “nursery” due to its rich marine life. However, the region faces serious threats from agricultural pollution, overfishing, and climate change.

To protect this important ecosystem, Comoros, Madagascar, Mozambique, and Tanzania have joined forces to manage, protect, and restore more than 87,000 hectares of connected land and sea areas.

Work is already underway to protect and restore the Northern Mozambique Channel region through rebuilding marine and coastal ecosystems such as mangroves, coral reefs, and improving fisheries management. These actions are being led by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) along with UN agencies, and they cover both land and sea areas.

With proper funding, the plan is to restore 4.85 million hectares of ecosystems in the region by 2030 to provide many benefits, including better living conditions for local communities, a 30 percent rise in household income, the creation of over 2,000 jobs, and the establishment of 12 community-run businesses.

In Madagascar, mangrove forests already store over 300 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂e)—a figure equal to the yearly electricity use of more than 62 million homes in the United States. As restoration continues, countries are expected to increase their ability to absorb carbon dioxide, and help the global fight against climate change.

Mexico restores biodiversity on islands hit by invasive species

The Mexican islands, known globally as biodiversity hotspots and home to one-third of the world’s seabird species, had been seriously affected by invasive species for many years. To address this, Mexico’s National Commission for Natural Protected Areas (CONANP) and the civil society group Grupo de Ecología y Conservación de Islas (GECI) launched a major ecological restoration programme 26 years ago. Working together with government bodies, universities, NGOs, and local communities, the project has become a model of long-term environmental recovery.

Key actions include the removal of 60 populations of invasive species, restoration of seabird colonies, and forest landscape restoration. In addition, new biosecurity protocols are helping to prevent future threats, and allow native plants and animals to thrive once again.

Thanks to these efforts, 85 per cent of seabird colonies that had disappeared from the islands have now returned, including some species that were close to extinction. By the end of the decade, the initiative aims to restore over 100,000 hectares across nearly 100 islands. In terms of biodiversity, this is equal to almost one million hectares of continental land. The restored areas are helping to protect more than 300 endemic species of birds, mammals, and reptiles.

A key part of the project’s success is its strong relationship with local island communities, who are directly involved and benefit from the programme. Their participation has brought improved protection from extreme weather, more sustainable fishing, and growing opportunities in ecotourism.

Mar Menor’s legal protection sparks major restoration effort in Spain

The Mar Menor lagoon, famous for its clear water and natural beauty, plays a vital role in the identity, tourism, fishing, and biodiversity of southeastern Spain. As Europe’s largest saltwater lagoon, its unique ecosystem has adapted to extreme conditions including high temperatures, high salinity, and low nutrient levels supporting a wide range of water birds and plant life.

However, years of pollution from intensive farming and other harmful land and sea activities have caused serious damage to the lagoon. One of the most visible signs of its decline has been the appearance of algal blooms, often called “green soup,” which block sunlight and reduce oxygen, killing fish and harming the ecosystem.

A turning point came when more than 500,000 citizens mobilized in response to these environmental disasters. They backed a Popular Legislative Initiative that led to the Mar Menor being granted legal personhood, making it the first ecosystem in Europe to be recognized as a legal entity with its own rights. At the same time, Spanish courts began taking stronger legal action, applying environmental liability laws and investigating pollution-related crimes.

To reverse the damage, the Spanish government launched the Framework of Priority Actions to Recover the Mar Menor (MAPMM) which has plans including 10 strategic lines of action and 28 specific measures. Key projects included the creation of wetlands, promotion of sustainable agriculture, construction of a green belt around the lagoon, cleanup of abandoned mining sites, and measures to improve flood control, boost biodiversity, and strengthen public involvement.

The restoration targeted a total area of 8,770 hectares, representing 7 per cent of the entire basin that drains into the lagoon. The effort contributes to Spain’s broader climate goals, including the national target of restoring 870,000 hectares by 2030. The planned Green Belt alone is expected to absorb more than 82,000 tonnes of CO₂ by 2040, equal to the yearly greenhouse gas emissions from nearly 14,000 people in Spain.

The Mar Menor restoration has now been recognized as one of the World Restoration Flagships, a title given to the most ambitious and successful ecosystem restoration efforts under the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. Flagships are selected through a rigorous process involving 15 evaluation criteria and guided by the 10 Restoration Principles of the UN Decade.

In 2022, the UN recognized the first 10 World Restoration Flagships, followed by seven more in 2024. The inclusion of the Mar Menor project in the 2025 flagship list underscores its global importance and the growing momentum for large-scale, long-term ecosystem recovery.