"If at one time what happened on and beneath the seas was 'out of sight, out of mind', that can no longer be the case. Let us work together: to protect the oceans and coastal zone...to ensure that all people enjoy a sustainable future."
- UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, Port Louis, Mauritius, 13 January 2005

Coral reefs are one of the most spectacular underwater environments, benefiting people and the natural world far beyond their boundaries. They safeguard lives, economies and cultures, create jobs and opportunities, act as safe harbors, protect against erosion, provide food to sustain local diets. Coral reefs also contain 10 percent of the world's fishing harvest, play a key role in nutrient cycling, and hold the prospect of scientific and medical advances we are only beginning to comprehend. Though coral reefs make up less than half of one percent of the ocean floor, more than 90% of marine species are directly or indirectly dependent on them, and a staggering 60 percent of reefs are either severely damaged or threatened with immediate damage unless we act now.

Some estimates suggest that the worlds' coral reefs generate nearly $30 billion each year from living resources, fish, souvenir manufacturing, tourism, bioprospecting for new products, and coastal protection from erosion, waves and storm damage. In light of the recent devastating tsunami, the role of coral reefs as nature's crucial defenses against aggressive and destructive seas has been highlighted. Although healthy reefs will not stop such occurrences from happening, they can significantly reduce the impacts which the sea can bring upon small islands and coastal or low-lying areas.

Making a difference and affecting change in the coral reef regions to alter the current downward trajectory may take surprisingly few resources. Smaller amounts of funds channelled to NGOs and community groups often have a greater return and a more positive and rapid impact on coral reefs and local populations. Given that a high proportion of the 2.7 billion people surviving on less than $2 a day, are living on, or in close proximity, to the world's coastlines, ICRAN, with the United Nations Foundation, has decided to partner with the GEF Small Grants Programme (GEF SGP) to create a dedicated coral reef small grants initiative to link coral reef management and conservation needs with the interests of local communities.

Coral Reef Small Grants Facility (CRSGF)

Working together, GEF SGP and ICRAN are undertaking activities in over 50% of the countries where coral reefs are found. Both the ICRAN and the GEF SGP programs embrace a flexible, decentralized implementation methodology allowing greater country and community stewardship, and local identification of actions. The ICRAN network will work with the existing GEF SGP National Steering Committees, and assist in the identification of new projects, and foster the development of innovative funding opportunities for coral reefs.

The CRSGF will target suitable projects that are being proposed by local communities and organizations within the coral reef regions (i.e. Caribbean, Indian Ocean, Red Sea, Persian Gulf, SE Asia and the Pacific) of the world. This initiative will also help to address the root causes, stemming from human actions and natural events, which are driving coral reef decline, as well as looking to ameliorate the effects of climate change. Coral reefs are often referred to as the 'canaries of the sea' given their sensitivity to subtle alterations of the marine environment, exemplified by coral bleaching episodes in the 1990s. The partnership will act as a platform and catalyst to encourage the co-financing of small grants for coral reefs with bilateral donor agencies and the private sector. At the global level, the SGP-ICRAN co-financing partnership would also be supplemented by additional country programme and project level co-financing (including potential GEF National Country Allocations).

The local partnering mechanism of the SGP will foster local collaboration as well as stimulating interest and additional financing opportunities. ICRAN and its partners will support and provide guidance as requested, as well as providing a platform for sharing of experiences, and promoting peer to peer learning opportunities and interactions.

Case Studies:

Marshall Islands: Download PDF

Thailand: Download PDF

 CRSGF Activities

Activities which will be funded under this scheme, must have demonstrable positive impact on the coral reefs in the short to medium term. Examples may include:

• Actions that support National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans
• Capacity building to encourage the establishment of community led conservation and management initiatives
• Actions to influence governmental environmental policies and programs
• Public awareness and education activities spanning local communities, and national leaders to change behavior and attitudes towards coral reefs
• Stimulation of alternative and sustainable livelihoods leading to the wider adoption of poverty reduction strategies
• Clustered "seascape" approach
• Development of innovative partnerships (to pool ideas and resources, and produce not only "quick wins" but success in the long term)
• Peer-to-peer exchanges and the transfer of skills, lessons and technology for the improved management and conservation of coral reefs

The International Coral Reef Action Network (ICRAN)

The United Nations Foundation, through ICRAN and its partners, has made a historic commitment to improving the health of coral reefs around the world. Since 2000, ICRAN has been working at the global, regional and local levels in 27 countries with a range of activities that focus on the prevention and mitigation of the degradation of coral reefs through management, monitoring and public awareness actions. In each region small grants have been given to community groups, local environmental NGOs and CBOs, and marine protected areas, to implement initiatives which serve to improve the condition of the local marine environment. These small grants have been shown to be an effective instrument to make a positive impact on people and reefs. In addition, ICRAN has acted as the operational arm of the International Coral Reef Initiative Framework for Action, and is driven in accordance with the coral reef-related commitments of the International Conventions such as the Convention on Biological Diversity, the World Summit on Sustainable Development and the Millennium Development Goals.

Contacts

Terence Hay-Edie, Programme Specialist for Biodiversity, GEF Small Grants Programme | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Kristian Teleki, Director, ICRAN | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | www.icran.org