Mired in debt in the mid-2010s, the small island nation of Seychelles was looking for relief from its creditors. So, it made a unique deal to both bolster its economy and preserve its biodiversity-rich coastal waters. An American conservation group, the Nature Conservancy, agreed to buy US$13 million of Seychelles debt in exchange for a promise that the country create a series of marine protected areas off its coast. 

This so-called debt-for-nature swap has seen Seychelles safeguard 30 per cent of its national maritime waters, up from less than 1 per cent in 2015. 

Information taken from the UN Environment Programme Global Environment Outlook (GEO-7), launched in December 2025, which explores everything from the health of coral reefs to the status of the ozone layer