Get to know the world’s marine protected areas

Blue Nature Alliance

The GEF has partnered with Conservation International, the Pew Charitable Trusts, the Minderoo Foundation, and the Rob & Melani Walton Foundation to launch the Blue Nature Alliance – an ambitious effort to create and improve marine protected areas at scale.

Among the projects it has supported to date is a regional effort between Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Panama to strengthen the Eastern Tropical Pacific Marine Corridor, which covers 500,000 square kilometers of ocean – an area slightly larger than Spain.

Did you know? In addition to housing the world’s highest concentration of sharks, the waters of the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean are key habitats for whales, tuna, rays, sea turtles and birds.

MedFund

Did you know? The Mediterranean represents only about 1 percent of the ocean’s surface but is home to about 10 percent of global marine species, and is also a vital breeding ground for many important sea species. But populations of some species in this hotspot – like sharks, Mediterranean monk seal, and Mediterranean seagrass -- are reaching dangerously low levels.

While there are many marine protected areas in the Mediterranean, their effectiveness has been limited due to a lack of financing and policy support. The MedFund – the environmental fund for Mediterranean marine protected areas – and the Mediterranean Protected Areas Network (MedPAN) are working to mobilize public and private investment to change this.

For example, through the GEF-funded project “Build Back a Blue and Stronger Mediterranean,” MedFund and MedPAN – a network of Mediterranean marine protected area managers are working to support marine protected areas covering nearly 220,000 hectares across six countries – Albania, Algeria, Lebanon, Morocco, Montenegro and Tunisia. The project will also provide training and support to improve the management of marine protected areas across the region.

Seychelles

The Seychelles, an archipelago consisting of 115 granite and coral islands, is a leader in deploying innovative financing to develop a blue economy and protect its oceans. In 2018, the Seychelles launched the world’s first sovereign blue bond to support sustainable marine and fisheries projects. The World Bank assisted in developing the bond and the GEF supported it with a concessional loan. Proceeds from the bond were used to expand marine protected areas, improve governance of fisheries, and develop a sustainable blue economy. The Seychelles also successfully worked with its creditors for a debt-for-nature swap that resulted in more funds for the management of coasts, coral reefs, and mangroves and ensured more than 400,000 square kilometers -- an area larger than the size of Germany -- would be managed as marine protected areas.

Brazil

Through a series of projects financed by the GEF, Brazil has expanded its marine and coastal protected areas in 2018 to cover a total of 96 million hectares, helping to maintain and recover fish stocks and boost livelihoods across many sectors. Efforts are now underway to further strengthen management of marine protected areas in Brazil and further support its blue economy.

Did you know? Each dollar invested in protected area management in Brazil has generated about $7 for the national economy. Marine protected areas in the country are protecting threatened fish stocks and enhancing tourism related to beaches, waterways, and biodiversity.

Southeast Asia

Did you know? A third of the world’s coastal and marine habitats – from coral reefs to mangroves, beaches, seagrass and seaweed beds – are in Southeast Asia.

The GEF is helping to fund a project in the region to develop and improve the management of a broad network of marine protected areas and marine corridors within Large Marine Ecosystems. Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand are working together through this initiative to identify new marine protected areas and expand conservation corridors across the region.

Hermandad Marine Reserve

Ecuador created the Hermandad Marine Reserve in early 2022, adding 60,000 square kilometers to the Galapagos Marine Reserve and increasing protection for one of the world’s most important marine ecosystems.

The Hermandad reserve includes a “no take” migratory swimway that connects the Galapagos Marine Reserve to Costa Rica’s protected waters. It will enhance protection for marine life including humpback whales, whale sharks, sea turtles, giant manta rays, and endangered hammerhead sharks.

Did you know? The Galapagos Islands are home to nearly 3,000 marine species – 20 percent of which are found nowhere else on Earth.

West Africa

Did you know? About 56 percent of West Africa’s GDP is generated along its coasts, where one-third of the population lives. The Gulf of Guinea is the most densely settled coastal area in Africa and has been highly impacted by human activities.

Countries around the Gulf of Guinea have been hit by declining fish stocks and overexploitation of fishery resources in addition to habitat destruction, a decline in water quality and impacts of climate change like coastal erosion.

The GEF is supporting an effort in Togo, Côte d'Ivoire, and Ghana to improve planning and management of marine and coastal zones using marine spatial planning. This involves assessing various uses of the area and determines how to allocate the activities based on ecological and socioeconomic benefits and tradeoffs.

Pilot projects will help place economic values on ecosystems and generate funds through Payment for Ecosystem Services schemes. They will also invest in solutions to protect heathy ecosystems and regenerate those which are degraded or under pressure.

Ecosystems-based management approaches in the Black Sea

The Black Sea catchment area extends over 18 countries – about one third of the area of continental Europe. Every year, Europe’s largest rivers – the Danube, Dnieper and Don – carry about 350 cubic kilometers of river water into the Black Sea.

Did you know? Because of its almost landlocked nature and lack of circulation in deep waters, the Black Sea large marine ecosystem is particularly vulnerable to environmental stresses originating from human activities in the catchment area.

The countries in the catchment area are working together on projects to ensure the sustainable use of coastal and marine resources to support sustainable development of the sea basin.

The GEF is funding a project that implements ecosystem-based principles, with integrated planning at a regional scale in support of sustainability and improved management. It will use marine spatial planning to determine which sectors can best sustain jobs and economic growth linked with the blue economy.