"Restoration of Coastal and Marine Ecosystems Abu Dhabi" named as one of the first 10 UN World Restoration Flagships

The winning initiatives were unveiled at the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP15) in Montreal and a special virtual gala event featuring actors Jason Momoa and Edward Norton, Dr. Jane Goodall, extreme mountaineer Nirmal Purja, singer Ellie Goulding, UK band Bastille, Chinese celebrity Li Bingbing, UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen, FAO Deputy Director-General Maria Helena Semedo and British economist Sir Partha Dasgupta, among others. The gala was hosted by Indian National Geographic Explorer and wildlife filmmaker Malaika Vaz. 

The initiatives were declared World Restoration Flagships and are eligible to receive UN-backed promotion, advice, or funding. They were selected under the banner of the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. Together, the 10 flagships aim to restore more than 68 million hectares − an area bigger than Myanmar, France or Somalia − and create nearly 15 million jobs.

In revealing the World Restoration Flagships, the UN Decade seeks to honor the best examples of large-scale and long-term ecosystem restoration, embodying the 10 Restoration Principles of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. These flagships represent the most ambitious, promising, and inspirational examples of making peace with nature across 23 countries and all ecosystems. World Restoration Flagships involve hundreds of individual projects, they also serve to highlight action across ecosystems.

UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen: “Transforming our relationship with nature is the key to reversing the triple planetary crisis of climate change, nature and biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste. These 10 inaugural World Restoration Flagships show that with political will, science, and collaboration across borders, we can achieve the goals of the UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration and forge a more sustainable future not only for the planet but also for those of us who call it home.”

Qu Dongyu, Director General of the FAO, said: “FAO, together with UNEP, as co-lead of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, is pleased to award the 10 most ambitious, visionary, and promising ecosystem restoration initiatives as 2022 World Restoration Flagships. Inspired by these flagships, we can learn to restore our ecosystems for better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life for all, leaving no one behind.” 

Among the 10 World Restoration Flagships, Abu Dhabi Marine Restoration was recognized. In fact, safeguarding the world’s second-largest dugong population is a goal of the drive in the United Arab Emirates to restore beds of seagrass – the vegetarian dugong’s preferred food – coral reefs and mangroves along the Gulf coast. The project in the emirate of Abu Dhabi will improve conditions for many other plants and animals, including four species of turtle and three kinds of dolphin. Local communities will benefit from the revival of some of the 500 species of fish, as well as greater opportunities for eco-tourism. Abu Dhabi wants to ensure its coastal ecosystems are resilient in the face of global warming and rapid coastal development in what is already one of the world’s warmest seas. Some 7,500 hectares of coastal areas have already been restored with another 4,500 hectares under restoration for 2030.

Warm congratulations to UAE on these tremendous efforts! It is with such initiatives that we can restore our ecosystems and secure a sustainable future for our planet.