Aquatic ecosystem projects financed by GEF
GEF Report: UNEP/CBD/COP/13/14/Add.1, 2016
| Country | Agency | Project Name | GEF Total | Cofinance | Total Project Cost |
| Djibouti | UNDP | Mitigating Key Sector Pressures on Marine and Coastal Biodiversity and Further Strengthening the National System of Marine Protected Areas in Djibouti | 2,922,374 | 11,640,000 | 14,562,374 |
| Regional | CI | The Meloy Fund: A Fund for Sustainable Small-scale Fisheries in SE Asia | 6,200,000 | 35,199,864 | 41,399,864 |
| Country | Project Name | BD | Total GEF | Cofinance | Total Project Cost |
| Kenya | Food-IAP: Establishment of the Upper Tana Nairobi Water Fund (UTNWF) | 0.90 | 7.34 | 61.05 | 68.39 |
| Madagascar | S3MR Sustainable Management of Madagascar's Marine Resources | 6.28 | 12.71 | 39.96 | 52.67 |
| Malaysia | Sustainable Management of Peatland Ecosystems in Malaysia (SMPEM) | 2.34 | 9.63 | 47.85 | 57.48 |
| Myanmar | Ridge to Reef: Integrated Protected Area Land and Seascape Management in Tanintharyi | 3.00 | 5.40 | 16.00 | 21.40 |
| Palau | Integrating Biodiversity Safeguards and Conservation into development in Palau | 2.29 | 4.38 | 17.59 | 21.97 |
| Regional | Pacific Islands Regional Oceanscape Program (PROP) | 2.74 | 6.30 | 22.17 | 28.47 |
| Regional | Sustainable Management of Peatland Ecosystems in Mekong Countries | 0.84 | 3.01 | 9.45 | 12.46 |
| Regional | Amazon Sustainable Landscapes Program | 54.70 | 113.68 | 682.98 | 796.66 |
| Regional | Caribbean Regional Oceanscape Project | 0.30 | 6.48 | 102.00 | 108.48 |
| Seychelles | Third South West Indian Ocean Fisheries Governance and Shared Growth Project (SWIOFish3) | 2.65 | 5.43 | 22.00 | 27.43 |
| St. Lucia | Integrated Ecosystem Management and Restoration of Forests on the South East Coast of St. Lucia | 1.59 | 4.57 | 25.80 | 30.37 |
| Ecuador | Implementation of the Strategic Plan of Ecuador Mainland Marine and Coastal Protected Areas Network | 5.36 | 5.96 | 29.10 | 35.06 |
| Global | Implementation of the Arafura and Timor Seas Regional and National Strategic Action Programs | 4.49 | 10.28 | 101.55 | 111.60 |
| Global | CFI: Coastal Fisheries Initiative (PROGRAM) | 7.05 | 33.46 | 201.50 | 234.96 |
| Zambia | Zambia Lake Tanganyika Basin Sustainable Development Project | 1.05 | 7.53 | 26.56 | 34.10 |
International Waters Focal Area
The International Waters focal area (IW) focal area helps countries jointly manage their transboundary surface water basins, groundwater basins, and coastal and marine systems to enable the sharing of benefits from their utilization. The GEF-6 IW strategy has three objectives to achieve its goal of promoting collective management for transboundary water systems: 1) Catalyze sustainable management of transboundary water systems by supporting multi-state cooperation through foundational capacity building, targeted research, and portfolio learning; 2) Catalyze investments to balance competing water-uses in the management of transboundary surface and groundwater and enhance multi-state cooperation; and, 3) Enhance multi-state cooperation and catalyze investments to foster sustainable fisheries, restore and protect coastal habitats, and reduce pollution of coasts and Large Marine Ecosystems. While objectives one and two of the strategy will make indirect contributions to the Aichi Targets, objective three makes a direct contribution to Aichi Target 6. Table 6 below depicts the contribution of GEF IW resources to achieving Aichi Biodiversity Target 6 as prioritized by countries.
Cumulative Distribution of GEF Resources by International Waters Focal Area Objectives and Programs for GEF 6 and contributions to achieving the Aichi Biodiversity Targets during the reporting period (July 1, 2014-June 30, 2016)
| International Waters Objective and Program | Aichi Biodiversity Targets | GEF Project Grant ($ million) | Cofinancing ($ million) | Total resources ($ million) |
| IW 3 Program 7: Foster Sustainable Fisheries | Target 6 | 54.6 | 418.9 | 473.5 |
COP12: UNEP/CBD/COP/12/14/ADD1, 16 July 2014 (Report of the Global Environment Facility)
| Country | Agency | Title | GEF Grant ($) | Cofinance ($) | Total ($) |
| Argentina | FAO | Governance Strengthening for the Management and Protection of Coastal- Marine Biodiversity in Key Ecological Areas and the Implementation of the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries (EAF) | 3,534,786 | 17,813,206 | 21,347,992 |
| Cameroon | UNEP | Participative Integrated Ecosystem Services Management Plans for Bakassi Post Conflict Ecosystems PINESMAP BPCE | 2,739,726 | 10,500,000 | 13,239,726 |
| China | FAO | A New Green Line: Mainstreaming Biodiversity Conservation Objectives and Practices into China’s Water Resources Management Policy and Planning Practice | 2,639,726 | 25,975,000 | 28,614,726 |
| Colombia | IADB | Sustainable Management and Conservation of Biodiversity in the Magdalena River Basin | 6,543,636 | 25,000,000 | 31,543,636 |
| Colombia | FAO | Implementing the Socio-Ecosystem Connectivity Approach to Conserve and Sustainable Use Biodiversity in the Caribbean Region of Colombia | 6,052,114 | 20,370,350 | 26,422,464 |
| Dominican Republic | UNDP | Conserving Biodiversity in Coastal Areas Threatened by Rapid Tourism and Physical Infrastructure Development | 2,915,930 | 13,684,525 | 16,600,455 |
| El Salvador | UNDP | Conservation, Sustainable Use of Biodiversity, and Maintenance of Ecosystem Services in Protected Wetlands of International Importance | 2,191,781 | 8,791,000 | 10,982,781 |
| India | UNEP | Integrated Management of Wetland Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services for Water and Food Security | 4,246,575 | 20,217,000 | 24,463,575 |
| Indonesia | ADB | CTI: Coral Reef Rehabilitation and Management Program-Coral Triangle Initiative, Phase III (COREMAP-CTI III) | 8,200,000 | 56,000,000 | 64,200,000 |
| Indonesia | FAO | Mainstreaming Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Use into Inland Fisheries Practices in Freshwater Ecosystems of High Conservation Value | 6,192,694 | 31,106,000 | 37,298,694 |
| China | UNDP | Payment for Watershed Services in the Chishui River Basin for the Conservation of Globally Significant Biodiversity | 2,009,133 | 16,000,000 | 18,009,133 |
| Congo | UNEP | Creation of Loungo Bay Marine Protected Area to Support Turtles Conservation in Congo | 767,124 | 2,600,000 | 3,367,124 |
| Liberia | CI | Improve Sustainability of Mangrove Forests and Coastal Mangrove Areas in Liberia through Protection, Planning and Livelihood Creation- as a Building Block Towards Liberia’s Marine and Costal Protected Areas | 963,994 | 3,500,000 | 4,463,994 |
| Malaysia | UNDP | Mainstreaming of Biodiversity Conservation into River Management | 1,464,000 | 7,530,000 | 8,994,000 |
| Senegal | AfDB | Project for the Restoration and Strengthening the Resilience of the Lake de Guiers Wetland Ecosystems (PRRELAG) | 1,315,525 | 22,090,000 | 23,405,525 |
| Country | Title | Bio-focal area | GEF Grant ($) | Cofinance ($) | Total ($) |
| Chile | Protecting Biodiversity and Multiple Ecosystem Services in Biological Mountain Corridors in Chile’s Mediterranean Ecosystem | 2,739,726 | 5,807,201 | 19,350,000 | 25,157,201 |
| Cook Islands | R2R: Conserving Biodiversity and Enhancing Ecosystem Functions through a “Ridge to Reef” Approach | 1,963,303 | 4,417,431 | 14,293,673 | 18,711,104 |
| Fiji | R2R: Implementing a “Ridge to Reef” Approach to Preserve Ecosystem Services, Sequester Carbon, Improve Climate Resilience and Sustain Livelihoods | 3,633,028 | 7,637,614 | 30,221,812 | 37,859,426 |
| Gabon | Sustainable Management of Critical Wetlands Ecosystems Project | 4,623,000 | 7,671,000 | 33,740,000 | 41,411,000 |
| Grenada | Implementing a “Ridge to Reef” Approach to Protecting Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functions within and Around Protected Areas | 1,363,636 | 3,131,666 | 15,426,822 | 18,558,488 |
| Haiti | Increasing Resilience of Ecosystems and Vulnerable Communities to CC and Anthropic Threats Through a Ridge to Reef Approach to BD Conservation and Watershed Management | 3,835,616 | 9,315,068 | 43,000,000 | 52,315,068 |
| Haiti | Ecosystem Approach to Haiti Cote Sud | 327,554 | 6,416,000 | 21,050,000 | 27,466,000 |
| Kiribati | R2R Resilient Islands, Resilient Communities | 1,706,460 | 4,870,030 | 12,250,000 | 17,120,030 |
| Mauritius | Mainstreaming Biodiversity into the Management of the Coastal Zone in the Republic of Mauritius | 4,018,265 | 4,794,521 | 20,400,000 | 25,194,521 |
| Micronesia | R2R Implementing an Integrated Ridge to Reef Approach to Enhance Ecosystem Services, to Conserve Globally Important Biodiversity and to Sustain Local Livelihoods in the FSM | 2,734,311 | 4,839,815 | 17,861,500 | 22,701,315 |
| Nauru | R2R: Implementing a “Ridge to Reef” Approach to Protecting Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functions in Nauru (R2R Nauru) | 1,376,147 | 2,729,358 | 6,353,000 | 9,082,358 |
| Niue | R2R Application of Ridge to Reef Concept for Biodiversity Conservation, and for the Enhancement of Ecosystem Service and Cultural Heritage | 1,376,147 | 4,303,751 | 12,430,000 | 16,733,751 |
| Palau | R2R: Advancing Sustainable Resources Management to Improve Livelihoods and Protect Biodiversity in Palau | 2,541,293 | 3,857,806 | 15,729,915 | 19,587,721 |
| Papua New Guinea | R2R Strengthening the Management Effectiveness of the National System of Protected Areas | 10,385,320 | 11,229,358 | 42,600,000 | 53,829,358 |
| Regional | R2R Pacific Islands Ridge-to-Reef National Priorities –Integrated Water, Land, Forest and Coastal Management to Preserve Biodiversity, Ecosystem Services, Store Carbon, Improve Climate Resilience and Sustain Livelihoods | 2,596,331 | 18,519,050 | 333,046,794 | 351,565,844 |
| St. Lucia | Iyanola Natural Resource Management of the NE Coast | 1,409,091 | 2,494,545 | 8,914,483 | 11,409,028 |
| Tonga | R2R Integrated Land and Agroecosystem Management Systems | 174,715 | 2,444,954 | 5,400,000 | 7,844,954 |
| Tunisia | Oases Ecosystems and Livelihoods Project | 1,148,858 | 5,760,730 | 59,048,000 | 64,808,730 |
| Tuvalu | R2R Implementing a Ridge to Reef Approach to Protect Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functions | 1,376,147 | 3,912,844 | 10,225,000 | 14,137,844 |
| Vanuatu | R2R: Integrated Sustainable Land and Coastal Management | 1,691,377 | 4,740,680 | 14,000,000 | 18,740,680 |
| Yemen | Support to the Integrated Program for the Conservation and Sustainable Development of the Socotra Archipelago | 5,004,566 | 17,562,520 | 22,567,086 | |
| Global | FAO - ABNJ: Strengthening Global Capacity to Effectively Manage Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (ABNJ) | 506,227 | 1,000,000 | 4,599,000 | 5,599,000 |
| Tonga | UNDP- R2R Integrated Land and Agroecosystem Management Systems | 174,715 | 2,444,954 | 5,400,000 | 7,844,954 |
The International Waters (IW) focal area helps countries work together to secure a wide range of economic, political, and environmental benefits from shared surface water, groundwater, and marine systems. The goal of the IW focal area is the promotion of collective management for transboundary water systems and subsequent implementation of the full range of policy, legal, and institutional reforms and investments contributing to sustainable use and maintenance of ecosystem services.
Through the international waters focal area, the GEF approved 23 projects, benefiting 96 countries, for an amount totaling $195.71 million that supported directly or indirectly the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity during the reporting period. An additional $1.55 billion was leveraged as cofinancing for these international waters projects. One global project, “Targeted Research for Improving Understanding of the Global Nitrogen Cycle towards the Establishment of an International Nutrient Management System” has the potential to benefit all GEF-eligible countries and advance implementation of Aichi Target 8.
International Waters Projects Funded During the Reporting Period that Contribute to the Objectives of the CBD
| Countries | Agency | Title | GEF | Co-finance |
| China | UNDP | Implementation of the Yellow Sea LME Strategic Action Programme for Adaptive Ecosystem-Based Management | 8,243,049 | 225,881,766 |
| Central African Republic, Cameroon, Niger, Nigeria, Chad | UNDP | Improving Lake Chad Management through Building Climate Change Resilience and Reducing Ecosystem Stress through Implementation of the SAP | 6,712,350 | 33,484,250 |
| Kenya, Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, Tanzania, South Africa | UNEP | Implementation of the Strategic Action Programme for the Protection of the Western Indian Ocean from Land-based Sources and Activities | 12,046,680 | 66,710,000 |
| Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia | World Bank | Adriatic Sea Environmental Pollution Control Project (I) | 7,413,150 | 23,198,000 |
| Costa Rica, Ecuador, Indonesia, Philippines | UNDP | Global Sustainable Supply Chains for Marine Commodities | 6,186,750 | 34,590,000 |
| Ecuador, Peru | UNDP | Integrated Water Resources Management in the Puyango-Tumbes, Catamayo-Chira and Zarumilla Transboundary Aquifers and River Basins | 4,500,450 | 20,375,773 |
| Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago | FAO | Sustainable Management of Bycatch in Latin America and Caribbean Trawl Fisheries (REBYC-II LAC) | 6,570,000 | 17,062,500 |
| Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam | UNDP | Sustainable Management of Highly Migratory Fish Stocks in the West Pacific and East Asian Seas | 2,500,000 | 19,859,525 |
| Global | UNEP | Targeted Research for Improving Understanding of the Global Nitrogen Cycle towards the Establishment of an International Nutrient Management System INMS | 6,734,250 | 47,622,900 |
| Indonesia, Cambodia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam | UNEP | Establishment and Operation of a Regional System of Fisheries Refugia in the South China Sea and Gulf of Thailand | 3,394,500 | 12,000,000 |
| China, Indonesia, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Philippines, Thailand, Timor Leste, Vietnam | UNDP | Scaling up the Implementation of the Sustainable Development Strategy for the Seas of East Asia | 11,056,951 | 157,265,467 |
| Kenya, Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, Somalia, Tanzania, South Africa | UNDP | Western Indian Ocean LMEs Strategic Action Programme Policy Harmonization and Institutional Reforms SAPPHIRE Project | 12,291,811 | 68,802,000 |
| Angola, Botswana, Namibia | UNDP | Support to the Cubango-Okavango River Basin Strategic Action Programme Implementation | 6,898,500 | 60,700,000 |
| Burkina Faso, Benin, Cote d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Chad | UNDP/UNEP | Improving IWRM, Knowledge based Management and Governance of the Niger Basin and the Iullemeden Taoudeni Tanezrouft Aquifer System (ITTAS) | 14,960,250 | 77,956,945 |
| China, Indonesia, Cambodia, Philippines, Vietnam | UNEP | Implementing the Strategic Action Programme for the South China Sea | 16,350,000 | 56,060,000 |
| Antigua And Barbuda, Barbados, Brazil, Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Kitts And Nevis, St. Lucia, Mexico, Panama, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, St. Vincent and Grenadines | UNDP | Catalysing Implementation of the Strategic Action Programme for the Sustainable Management of Shared Living Marine Resources in the Caribbean and North Brazil Shelf Large Marine Ecosystems (CMLE+) | 13,952,000 | 110,854,059 |
| Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia | World Bank | West Balkans Drina River Basin Management | 11,037,500 | 93,459,721 |
| Uganda, Congo DR | AfDB | Lakes Edward and Albert Integrated Fisheries and Water Resources Management Project | 5,000,000 | 99,700,000.00 |
| Bolivia, Peru | UNDP | Integrated Water Resources Management in the Titicaca-Desaguadero-Poopo-Salar de Coipasa (TDPS) System | 9,088,500 | 26,885,000 |
| Angola, Namibia, South Africa | UNDP | Realizing the Inclusive and Sustainable Development in the BCLME Region through the Improved Ocean Governance and the Integrated Management of Ocean Use and Marine Resources | 7,187,306 | 33,460,000 |
| Cook Islands, Fiji, Micronesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Palau, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Samoa | UNDP | Testing the Integration of Water, Land, Forest & Coastal Management to Preserve Ecosystem Services, Store Carbon, Improve Climate Resilience and Sustain Livelihoods in Pacific Island Countries | 11,881,000 | 174,387,580 |
| Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico | WWF | Integrated Transboundary Ridges-to-Reef Management of the Mesoamerican Reef | 9,830,000 | 69,457,826 |
| Indonesia, Timor Leste | FAO | Enabling Transboundary Cooperation for Sustainable Management of the Indonesian Seas | 4,380,000 | 15,500,000 |
Consolidated guidance on aquatic ecosystems
Marine and coastal ecosystems
- Projects that promote the conservation and sustainable use of marine and coastal biodiversity under threat, and implement the elaborated programme of work on marine and coastal biodiversity and the programme of work on island biodiversity;
- Country-driven activities aimed at enhancing capabilities to address the impacts of mortality related to coral bleaching and physical degradation and destruction of coral reefs, including developing rapid response capabilities to implement measures to address coral-reef degradation, mortality and subsequent recovery;
- Implementation of training and capacity building and other activities related to ecologically or biologically significant marine areas (EBSAs);
- Support for capacity-building in order to further accelerate existing efforts towards achieving the Aichi Biodiversity Targets in marine and coastal areas.
Inland water ecosystems