UN taps ocean champions in Africa, Mexico and Spain to revive a dying blue planet

NICE, France In a decisive move to breathe life back into the world’s oceans, the United Nations has named three marine restoration projects in Africa, Mexico and Spain as 2025’s World Restoration Flagships. These efforts, spanning nearly five million hectares, mark a growing shift from ocean exploitation to healing.

The announcements were made at the UN Ocean Conference in Nice, where leaders, scientists and activists have gathered to address the deepening crisis facing the planet’s blue heart.

“These flagships show the ocean is not a lost cause,” said Inger Andersen, head of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). “They prove that with ambition, collaboration, and local engagement, we can turn the tide.”

From the coral-rich waters off East Africa to the storm-battered islands of Mexico and Spain’s once-pristine lagoon, these projects aim to restore what decades of pollution, overfishing and neglect have destroyed.

A Coral Nursery in Crisis

The Northern Mozambique Channel, a stretch of ocean between Madagascar and mainland Africa, is home to more than a third of the Indian Ocean’s coral reefs. But the region is under severe threat. Climate change, illegal fishing, and agricultural run-off have damaged coral systems and drained local livelihoods.

In response, four countries Comoros, Madagascar, Mozambique and Tanzania have joined forces to manage and restore more than 87,000 hectares of connected coastal and marine landscapes. The goal is far bigger: restoring 4.85 million hectares by 2030.

Efforts include replanting mangroves, rebuilding coral reefs, and improving fishing practices. The WWF and UN agencies are backing the project, which blends modern science with Indigenous knowledge.

Madagascar’s mangroves alone hold more than 300 million tonnes of carbon roughly the emissions of over 60 million U.S. homes. If successful, the initiative could boost incomes in target communities by 30 per cent and create more than 2,000 jobs, according to UNEP.

The Seabirds’ Return to Mexico’s Islands

Off Mexico’s coasts, more than 60 islands once overwhelmed by invasive species are being brought back to life. For decades, rats, goats, and other non-native animals devastated local ecosystems, driving seabirds to the brink.

But since 1999, Mexico’s protected areas agency CONANP and the NGO Grupo de Ecología y Conservación de Islas (GECI) have quietly led one of the world’s most ambitious island restoration programmes.

Over 60 invasive populations have been removed, seabird colonies are rebounding, and strict biosecurity protocols are now in place. By 2030, over 100,000 hectares will be restored.

“It’s not just about the birds,” said a CONANP official at the conference. “This is about local communities, sustainable fishing, and the survival of species found nowhere else.”

Eighty-five per cent of vanished seabird colonies have returned. Ecotourism is growing. And on some islands, fishing communities are more resilient to storms, thanks to restored ecosystems that buffer extreme weather.

Spain’s Lagoon Gains Legal Rights

In Spain, the Mar Menor lagoon a beloved spot for swimming and fishing has become a symbol of what can happen when citizens fight back.

Years of unchecked farming and pollution had turned the lagoon into a toxic “green soup,” triggering massive fish kills and algal blooms. But in 2022, more than 500,000 Spaniards rallied to give the lagoon legal personhood a European first.

“It was a moment of hope,” said local resident Carmen López, who campaigned for the change. “We were tired of empty promises. We wanted the lagoon to have rights, just like a person.”

Now backed by a sweeping government plan, Spain is working to restore nearly 9,000 hectares around the Mar Menor. The strategy includes building wetlands, cleaning up mining sites, and creating a green belt to filter farm runoff.

By 2040, the project could capture more than 82,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide roughly the annual emissions of 14,000 Spaniards.

A Global Push to Revive the Seas

These World Restoration Flagships form part of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, a global campaign to reverse the loss of nature by 2030. Led by UNEP and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the programme is rallying countries behind the goal of restoring one billion hectares an area larger than China.

“This isn’t just about saving nature,” said FAO’s Director-General, QU Dongyu. “It’s about food, jobs, health, and survival. The oceans feed us and protect us. If we restore them, we restore our future.”

With nearly two dozen flagships now recognised from forests to rivers and reefs the initiative is starting to show how global ambition can take root locally.

But many challenges remain. Restoration work is expensive, time-consuming and often faces political and economic headwinds. Success will depend not just on announcements, but on whether commitments are met and scaled.

Back in Nice, amid speeches and sea breeze, Andersen offered a clear call: “Restoration is no longer a luxury it’s a necessity. And we all have a part to play.”

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