Mexico, Spain, East Africa Win UN Restoration Awards

Four-month-old albatross at its colony at Campo Bosque, Punta Sur on Guadalupe Island.

At the 2025 United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) recognized three countries and regions for their large-scale efforts to restore native ecosystems.

Mexico, Spain, and East Africa were named the first World Restoration Flagships for their ambitious initiatives to address invasive species, pollution, and unsustainable exploitation. Collectively, their projects aim to restore nearly five million hectares of marine and coastal ecosystems—an area almost the size of Costa Rica, the UNOC3 co-host alongside France.

The awards were presented Thursday at a private event during the conference.

The World Restoration Flagships initiative is part of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021–2030), co-led by UNEP and FAO. It supports national and regional efforts to halt and reverse environmental degradation, aligning with global climate goals, including restoring one billion hectares of ecosystems under the Paris Agreement. Flagship recipients also receive technical and policy support from the UN.

“After decades of taking the ocean for granted, we are witnessing a great shift towards restoration. These World Restoration Flagships show how biodiversity protection, climate action, and economic development are deeply interconnected,” said Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP. “To deliver our restoration goals, our ambition must be as big as the ocean we must protect.”

East Africa: Restoring the Northern Mozambique Channel

In the Northern Mozambique Channel—shared by Comoros, Madagascar, Mozambique, and Tanzania—coral reef systems are under threat from climate change and overfishing. The four countries are working together to restore and protect over 87,000 hectares of interconnected marine and coastal ecosystems.

Actions include restoring mangroves, coral reefs, and forest corridors, as well as improving fisheries management. Madagascar’s mangroves alone store over 300 million tons of carbon dioxide—roughly equal to the annual electricity use of 62 million U.S. households.

With adequate funding, the program could restore up to 4.85 million hectares by 2030, creating over 2,000 jobs and launching a dozen community enterprises grounded in indigenous knowledge.

Mexico: Defending Island Biodiversity

Mexico’s islands have long struggled with invasive species that endanger native biodiversity, especially seabird populations. Thanks to collaborative efforts, over 60 invasive species populations have been removed, and at least 85 percent of affected seabird colonies have rebounded.

By 2030, more than 100,000 hectares across 100 islands could be restored, protecting 300 endemic species of birds, mammals, and reptiles. The program also strengthens the resilience of local island communities, whose participation is crucial to its continued success.

“Across Mexico’s precious islands, tangible restoration actions are breathing new life into vital ecosystems,” said Dr. Marina Robles García, Undersecretary of Biodiversity and Environmental Restoration at Mexico’s environment ministry, SEMARNAT.

Spain: Legal rights for Mar Menor Lagoon

In Spain, the Mar Menor Lagoon—Europe’s largest saltwater lagoon—has suffered from pollution and agricultural runoff. In 2022, the lagoon was granted legal personhood, becoming the first European ecosystem to receive such status.

This move has been part of a broader restoration initiative that includes cleaning polluted mining sites, promoting sustainable agriculture, and creating a green belt predicted to absorb over 82,000 tons of CO₂ by 2040. Spain aims to restore more than 8,700 hectares by 2030.

“We knew our credibility as a society and the future of new generations were at stake,” said Sara Aagesen Muñoz, Spain’s Third Vice-President and Minister for Ecological Transition. “We could not let them down.”

A global push for restoration

FAO Director-General QU Dongyu said the recognized projects demonstrate how reversing environmental degradation can benefit both people and the planet.

“These new World Restoration Flagships show that halting and reversing degradation is not only possible, but also beneficial to both the planet and its people,” he said.

As marine ecosystems face growing pressure from climate change and human activity, UNEP and FAO emphasized the need to scale up global restoration efforts for long-term sustainability and economic resilience.