Innovative community-based initiatives for conservation, restoration, and sustainable use of marine and coastal ecosystems.
UNEP recognizes that effective conservation is often led by those who are dependent on and know their ecosystems best and therefore supports community‑led action to protect and restore marine and coastal ecosystems.
UNEP’s Small Grants Programme for conservation, restoration and sustainable use of marine and coastal ecosystems empowers civil society partners, local communities, women’s groups, youth organizations, and indigenous peoples who depend on healthy oceans and ecosystems for their livelihoods, food security, and cultural identity.
From mangrove forests and seagrass meadows to coral reefs the programme helps communities safeguard the ecosystems that buffer coastlines, store blue carbon, sustain biodiversity, and provide livelihoods for some of the most vulnerable communities in the world.
Since 2017, the programme has supported marine and coastal initiatives in 17 countries, including mangrove and coral restoration, community‑based marine protected areas, sustainable fisheries management, nature‑positive livelihoods, and climate‑resilient coastal governance.
The Small Grants Programme serves as a bridge between local action and global commitments. It ensures that community‑designed solutions contribute to national, regional and international biodiversity and climate goals while remaining grounded in local priorities. It also expands a global community of practitioners who learn from one another and build on each other’s work.
Across all projects, the programme emphasizes community leadership, gender equality, the rights of indigenous peoples, youth inclusion, financial resilience, and improved data collection on marine and coastal ecosystems to inform decision making, policy and programme formulation. Moreover, community-led initiatives share best practices on cost-effectiveness, local ownership and leadership that enhance sustainability and help to replicate and scale up across the world.
By pairing financial support with technical guidance and capacity building, UNEP ensures that coastal communities have the resources, voice, and capacity they need to protect the marine ecosystems they rely on and to contribute to a more sustainable and resilient future for people and planet.
Related links:
- UNEP/ICRI small-scale grants programme | ICRI
- How small grants are helping to rescue marine habitats around the world
- New grants support conservation and restoration of marine habitats
- UNEP/ICRI Small-Scale Grants Programme | The Caribbean Environment Programme (CEP)
- ICRI/UN Environment Small Grants Programme
- 7 conservation projects win grants for underwater innovation
- Reefs of Hope: Climate Focused Coral Adaptation in a Warming Ocean
We would like to acknowledge the Principality of Monaco, the United States Department of State, France, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (Australia), and the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation for their support and commitment
