Danny Takhar’s Post

United States and Indonesia Sign Landmark Debt-for-Nature Swap to Protect Coral Reef Ecosystems: US Embassy The United States, Indonesia, and leading environmental non-governmental organizations (NGOs) signed a groundbreaking debt-for-nature swap on July 3 to protect Indonesia’s precious coral reef ecosystems by redirecting $35 million of Indonesia’s debt into an investment in coral reef conservation. Indonesia is home to 16% of the world’s coral reef areas and approximately 60% of the world’s coral species. Coral reefs provide food, livelihoods, and storm protection for just under half of the world’s population, but approximately 75% of coral reefs worldwide are threatened. This debt-for-nature swap will redirect funds initially earmarked for debt repayment into initiatives to support coral reef ecosystem conservation. For the full statement: https://lnkd.in/g2tZG7bg

A milestone debt-for-nature agreement to conserve coral reefs in Indonesia, the world’s largest archipelagic country, has drawn a mix of optimism and skepticism from environmentalists. While welcoming the flush of funding and attention to the country’s imperiled reef ecosystems, some warn that to be successful, the agreement must reshape the way reef conservation is practiced, in particular by enhancing monitoring of project outcomes https://lnkd.in/eG_svGxW

The government of Indonesia announced this week a deal to redirect more than US$ 35 million it owes to the United States into the conservation of coral reefs in the most biodiverse ocean area on Earth. The “debt-for-nature” swap will fund coral restoration in two key areas of the Pacific Ocean’s Coral Triangle — the Bird’s Head and Lesser Sunda-Banda seascapes, which encompass three-quarters of the world’s coral species and more than 3,000 types of fish, turtles, sharks, whales and dolphins, Marc Jones reported for Reuters. Debt-for-nature swaps aim to alleviate two problems for developing countries: heavy debt burdens and a lack of funding for conservation.

🇨🇴 #CBDCOP16 Announcement #ForCoral: Sustainable financial mechanism launched to protect Colombia’s Seaflower Biosphere Reserve, benefiting 77% of #coralreefs in Colombia and 70,000 archipelago community members relying on reefs for sustenance and livelihood. During CBD COP16, the Global Fund for Coral Reefs (GFCR) led by a public-private coalition, in partnership with Fondo para la Accion Ambiental y la Niñez and the Blue Action Fund, launched the Seaflower Fund—the first long-term financial mechanism in Colombia dedicated to protecting the Seaflower Biosphere Reserve. The Seaflower Fund aims to ensure the financial sustainability of protected areas, including the reserve, which safeguards the second-largest barrier reef in the Caribbean, spanning 32 kilometers. The Seaflower Biosphere is a vital biodiversity reserve, home to 59 coral species, over 600 fish species, 35 seabird species, and serves as an important migratory route for sea turtles and whale sharks. “Colombia’s coral reefs play an important role in the well-being of local coastal communities and in the immense interconnected marine biodiversity throughout the entire region. GFCR is committed to the conservation of coral reefs in Colombia, particularly in the archipelago of San Andres, Providencia and Santa Catalina, where it is possible for the reefs to withstand and recover from the effects of climate change”, states Yabanex Batista, GFCR Deputy Director - UN Global Team, UNCDF. The coral reefs in the Seaflower Biosphere Reserve in the archipelago of San Andres, Providencia and Santa Catalina are of vital importance for the Greater Caribbean, as they are a biodiversity reserve and climate refuge, and contribute significantly to the lives of local communities and the Raizal people. The health of the coral reefs is being affected by local and global factors causing degradation such as climate change, pollution, and unsustainable tourism. The disturbances to the ecosystems threaten the balance of marine life, the sustainability of fishing and the survival of the Raizal people. By combining endowments and sinking funds with a hundred-year vision in a multi-donor scheme, the Seaflower Fund financial model designed by Fondo Accion, with funding support from #GFCR, aims to contribute to the protection and restoration of the coral reefs in the archipelago and to improve the livelihoods of the local communities. The fund’s resources will be invested in biodiversity conservation, ecosystem restoration, support for local businesses that have a positive impact on the coral reefs, and the promotion of sustainable ways of living. 🎥 Watch this video to learn more: https://lnkd.in/gzUHwCfw UN Biodiversity #COP16Colombia #Biodiversity #CoralReefs #SustainableFinance #SDG14

Hosting approximately four percent of the world’s coral reefs and over 65,000 hectares of mangroves, Fiji features rich marine biodiversity that provides ecosystem services to coastal communities and their economies. To support protection of Fijian Reefs, the ‘Investing in Coral Reefs and the Blue Economy’ programme, led by the UNDP Pacific Office in Fiji and funded by the Global Fund for Coral Reefs (GFCR) and United Nations Joint SDG Fund, supports local blended finance solutions to help address drivers of coral reef degradation and unlock conservation finance flows. In coastal Galoa Village, the programme has supported an innovative partnership between Galoa Village and local private enterprises to safeguard the Shark Reef Marine Reserve, a Marine Protected Area (MPA). As part of this partnership, the Fijian enterprise Beqa Adventure Divers is supporting effective MPA management through collection of a ‘reserve levy’ from dive customers. Natasha Marosi, Director of Conservation for Beqa Adventures Divers said: “When divers visit the reserve, they pay a marine park levy which goes to the village, and these divers post and share about their experiences underwater with so many sharks bringing more and more people to dive with us, helping us keep the reserve protected.” Further a new Fiji Shark Lab has been established using a combination of grants and concessional lending from the Investing in Coral Reefs and the Blue Economy programme and proceeds from Beqa Adventure Diver’s My Fiji Shark programme. Director Marosi, “The mission of the Fiji Shark Lab is to advance our scientific knowledge of sharks and rays, support new conservation measures in support of sharks and rays; provide education and outreach and to share results from our field work through public dissemination… We are so incredibly grateful for the support of the Joint SDG Fund and the Global Fund for Reefs – donors of the Investing in Coral Reefs and the Blue Economy - as the crucial piece of blended finance facility came at a time when we were our most vulnerable, having suffered from the devastation of the Covid-19. The funding has also enabled us to build the Fiji Shark Lab on our premises, a field station devoted to research, education and conservation of Fiji's shark and ray populations.” The long-term ambition of the project is to improve economic opportunities and lessen environmental impacts to 70,000 people living in some of Fiji’s most-vulnerable coastal communities. Learn more about the initiative below:  https://lnkd.in/eGSJvv_r

Coastal ecosystems, including mangroves, seagrasses, and tidal marshes, are critically important for coastal biodiversity and provide essential services to communities globally, including coastal protection, food, livelihoods, and climate adaptation and mitigation. But despite their importance, these habitats are some of the most endangered on Earth. #Terraformation’s# carbon-led project Regenerative Development of Anlo Wetlands (ReDAW) in Ghana proves that marine ecosystems can be restored and managed sustainably. At the 11th Regional Partnership for Coastal and Marine Conservation (PRCM) conference ongoing in Guinea Bissau (23-26th April 2024), I presented the innovative carbon project approach which #Terraformation# is using to sustainably manage 2,620 hectares of the Keta lagoon complex a #RAMSAR# site supporting thousands of marine ecosystems.  The conference #PRCM#(coalition of actors working on the problems of the West African coastline and covering seven countries: Cape Verde, Gambia, Guinea Conakry, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, Senegal, and Sierra Leone) brought more than 300 participants aimed at discussing how to create synergy between oceans and communities, highlighting the importance of marine and coastal conservation, sustainable development and resilience in the face of global challenges such as the crises linked to biodiversity loss, climate change and the phenomenon of immigration The key take home in the conference so far is the recognition that current mechanisms for investment in blue carbon whether voluntary or through regulatory frameworks face a set of risks and impediments that need to be resolved before investments will advance to the scale needed. The impediments include a lack of standardized and robust methods to estimate blue carbon offsets and co-benefits, uncertainty about financial returns, poor understanding of the types and magnitudes of risks, and a paucity of finance mechanisms tailored to blue carbon ecosystems. #Damien Kuhn#PRCM#Terraformation#

A landmark Debt-for-Nature agreement. On July 3, the United States & Indonesia agreed to US$35 million swop over the next nine years, in return for safeguarding the biodiversity of the most vibrant marine ecosystems in the Coral Triangle. The bilateral agreement is the fourth debt-for-nature redirection of funds since 2009, & expected to fund 15 years of conservation in the Bird Head’s Seascape and Lesser Sunda-Banda Sea. This is the first swop to focus on reefs rather than rainforests, which remain threatened by industry expansion, particularly palm oil plantations. This is a milestone, as reefs are harder to conserve at a national level as they are primarily threatened by planet-warming global greenhouse gas emissions which requires collective cross-border action. The bulk of debt will be written off under the US Tropical Forest & Coral Reef Conservation Act. Leading environmental NGOs, Conservation International and The Nature Conservancy are also contributing. The unlocking of funds will enable Indonesia to commit to national reef restoration, while local non-profit groups will use conservation funds to support in-field projects that directly benefit marine ecosystems, as well as foster sustainable livelihoods for local communities. #debtfornature #impactinvestment #conservation

Indonesia is part of the Coral Triangle: an area of the western Pacific Ocean which is home to 76% of the world's known coral species The Coral Bond is a financial mechanism to support the protection and management of coral reefs in Indonesia's MPAs. Last month, key stakeholders met with the IUCN in Jakarta to discuss aligning with the IUCN Green List - a globally recognised standard for effective management of protected areas. https://loom.ly/TydSbgk Many countries eligible for OCEAN grants are striving to protect the world's valuable coral reef ecosystems through similar initiatives. The link between healthy coral reef ecosystems and the wellbeing of costal communities which depend on them is at the core of OCEAN, which is why all our projects aim to alleviate multidimensional poverty.

What a year it’s been so far, and we are only in June 😃   We have built 150m2 of reefs in 3 locations across the globe, every reef we put into the ocean takes us 1 step closer to reviving 1% of coastal coral reefs by 2034.   By creating an underwater structure that is built alongside the natural reef, our solution enables #corallarvae to settle on our bricks and grow. The colonisation by new corals is a key driver of reef resilience and recovery 🧱🪸    #rrreefsinthefield 2024 ⬇️   British Virgin Islands – January   January 2024 saw the installation of our reef system at Cistern Point, adjacent to the prominent rock formation on the western side of Cooper Island.    The prestigious Swiss Institut Le Rosey sponsored the project as part of their mission to synergize education with environmental stewardship. The initiative gave ten students the unique opportunity to embark on a sailing boat, delving into hands-on experiences in marine biology and environmental protection.   ARK (Association of Reef Keepers) will monitor the structural impact on marine biodiversity over the next 2 years, specifically focusing on the recruitment of coral, fish, and other marine life.    Philippines – February   February was the start of a collaborative research project with Zurich Gruppe Deutschland , TEAM MALIZIA and Mama Earth Foundation, Inc. to explore the co-benefits of restoring different marine ecosystems together, namely coral reefs and mangroves.   The project took place in Pujada Bay and it is our biggest installation so far. The reef covers an area of 100m2, and is combined with 9000 mangroves that were planted along the shoreline.   Another element of this project is our partnership with Holcim Philippines Inc. who supplied us with marine bioactive concrete for the foundation of our reef as well as five units that lock into our brick system   Ecuador - May    Last month we teamed up with the Melitta Group to build a new coral reef ecosystem off Isla El Sucre. Ecuador is known for its rich coastal ecosystems, so it provided an ideal setting for this first initiative.   The project, supported by the local community from Los Ciriales and partnerships including Conservación Marina Ecuador alongside local fishermen, represents a significant step forward in coral restoration efforts and marine conservation in the country.   This is the first time our system has been installed in the eastern half of the Pacific Ocean which is home to very unique coral reefs, now allowing us to compare its restorative capacities in three oceans across the globe 🪸🌊   Check out the link below for more details on our projects and how you / your business can partner with us to regenerate coastal coral reefs. #rrreefs #savethereef #marinelife #oceandecade #ocean #SDG14 #climateaction #climatechange #biodiversity

The journey from reef to community reaffirms the mutual relationship that exists between marine ecosystems and human societies. By engaging local communities, leveraging blended finance mechanisms, and fostering multi-stakeholder collaborations, not only can we preserve the ecological richness of our oceans but also unlock their economic potential in a sustainable manner. The partnership formed between Galoa Village, Beqa Adventure Divers, Ministry of Fisheries Fiji and the new Fiji Shark Lab brings materializes this potential and is in line with the 'Investing in Coral Reefs and the Blue Economy' project which is supported by the Global Fund for Coral Reefs and Joint Sustainable Development Goal Fund. With Fiji's exclusive economic zone being 70 percent larger than its landmass, ranked as the 26th largest sovereign ocean space in the world and also home to close to four percent of the world’s coral reefs, it only makes that we should be investing in the protection of our coral reefs. Read more 👇