Nice (France), June 11 The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN (FAO), on Wednesday, announced to name the first World Restoration Flagships for this year, tackling pollution, unsustainable exploitation, and invasive species in three continents.
These initiatives are restoring nearly five million hectares of marine ecosystems -- an area about the size of Costa Rica, which, together with France, is hosting the third UN Ocean Conference, which is underway in this city of France.
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 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."
The World Restoration Flagship awards are part of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration -- led by UNEP and FAO -- which aims to prevent, halt, and reverse the degradation of ecosystems on every continent and in every ocean.
The awards track notable initiatives that support global commitments to restore one billion hectares -- an area larger than China -- by 2030.
World Restoration Flagships are chosen as the best examples of ongoing, large-scale and long-term ecosystem restoration by a group of ecosystem restoration experts from the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration's network.
Selection follows a thorough review process with 15 criteria, embodying the 10 Restoration Principles of the UN Decade.
In 2022, the inaugural 10 World Restoration Flagships were recognised as part of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, followed with the recognition of seven initiatives in 2024.
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