A new partnership to protect our Pacific coral reefs was signed at the Pacific Islands Leaders Forum Meeting in Tonga between the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation.
Working together, this partnership will implement the 2030 Coral Reef Action Plan through the GBRF program Resilient Reefs Initiative and supports the Unlocking Blue Pacific Prosperity Initiative. The AUD 15 million Resilient Reefs Initiative is funded by BHP Foundation and will accelerate and scale local action to protect coral reefs.
“We are pleased to partner with the Great Barrier Reef Foundation to strengthen our coral reef ecosystems to help build our Pacific resilience. This is our contribution to the Unlocking Blue Pacific Prosperity initiative, and we are excited with this new funding stream through philanthropic entities,” said Mr Sefanaia Nawadra, Director General of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP).
The Unlocking Blue Pacific Prosperity (UBPP) initiative to mobilise and secure rapid large-scale investment is a Regional Collective Action under the Implementation Plan of the 2050 Blue Pacific Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent. This is one of the joint actions under the 2050 Blue Pacific Strategy led by Pacific Islands Leaders with the support of the Council of Regional Organisations of the Pacific, civil society organisations, philanthropic entities and the region’s traditional partners.
The milestone signing of the partnership between GBRF and SPREP heralds a resilient future in the face of the triple planetary crises of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss. It also signifies the potential achieved with funding support from philanthropic foundations.
“When you protect and save a reef that catalyses so much potential for our Pacific people as the reef is our nursery for our marine life, it protects our islands as the first line of defence from ocean waves and helps build our national revenues.”
This partnership will channel support to three demonstration sites as Pacific Resilience Hubs for best-practice reef resilience building.
It will also support four Pacific Resilience Accelerators as an avenue to confirm funding for coral reef projects from Pacific countries will also be underway. The Accelerators will be the platform that connects pipeline projects with donors. These projects will help implement the 2030 Pacific Coral Reef Action Plan.
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Coral reefs dissipate close to 100% of the wave energy that would otherwise impact shorelines, with at last 50% of Pacific Islands living within 1.5 kms of the coast. Health corals attract tourism, with well-managed reefs also being able to yield, on average, 15 tons of seafood per square kilometre each year.
“The Great Barrier Reef Foundation is committed to creating a better future for coral reefs and the communities that depend on them. We’re proud to partner in the Pacific and share learnings from our work on the Great Barrier Reef and at UNESCO World Heritage reef sites in the Pacific,” said Ms Anna Marsden, Managing Director of the Great Barrier Reef Foundation.
“Unlocking Blue Pacific Prosperity presents an opportunity to bring together partners and investments towards funding goals that contribute to tackling the Pacific’s biggest challenges in climate change, effective ocean management and sustainable food systems.”
The Reef Resilience Initiative by GBRF with SPREP demonstrates the momentum of the UBPP that was launched at COP28 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates by the Prime Minister of Tonga Hon Hu’akaavemeiliku Siaosi Sovaleni and President of Palau H.E Surangel Whipps, Jr. The Bezos Earth Fund committed USD 100 million in seed funding, with a funding target across public and private partners of USD 500 million by 2030.
The signing of the GBRF and SPREP partnership took place at the PIFLM53 in Tonga on 28 August, 2024.
For further information please contact Ms Juney Moala, SPREP’s Coastal and Marine Adviser at [email protected]
Image: Coral reefs, Vatu-i-Ra Seascape, Fiji © Stuart Chape.