Delivering Target 2 of the GBF requires countries to move from ambition to implementation. In coastal and marine areas where fisheries remain central to food, livelihoods and local economies, this means treating restoration not only as an area commitment, technical intervention, or restriction on use, but as a long-term change in the pressures, decisions and relationships that shape a working sea.

This side event will explore fisheries active contribution to Target 2 delivery. It will move beyond the idea that restoration is delivered only through closures or habitat protection, and examine broader contributions across a restoration continuum: pressure reduction, impact mitigation, passive recovery, active rebuilding, monitoring, gear innovation and stewardship.

Fisheries and restoration experts will identify what makes fisheries-related restoration effective, measurable and inclusive of production sector actors. Discussion will focus on how restoration objectives can be translated into practical measures; how fishers’ knowledge, data and tools can support recovery; how restoration benefits and burdens can be shared equitably; and how countries can recognise fisheries contributions in their national reports.

The session will focus on the conditions for delivery, rather than whether fisheries and restoration can coexist in principle.  By connecting Target 2 with sustainable use, food security, ecosystem-based fisheries management and the lived realities of coastal communities, the event will help clarify how marine restoration can be designed not only for protected sites, but also for productive seascapes.