The Coral Reef Breakthrough

#ForCoral

The world has lost 14 percent of the coral on its coral reefs since 2009 and with ever-increasing pressures from climate change, the window for protecting these ecosystems is closing rapidly. To reverse this downward trajectory, we must accelerate resources and action to stop local and global drivers of decline, and scale cost-efficient solutions to enable the survival and recovery of resilient coral reefs on a global scale.

The Coral Reef Breakthrough aims to secure the future of at least 125,000 km2 of shallow-water tropical coral reefs with investments of at least US$12 billion to support the resilience of more than half a billion people globally by 2030. It was launched last week at the 37th International Coral Reef Initiative General Meeting. The breakthrough was developed in collaboration with the UN Climate Change High-level Champions (HLCC), the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI), and the Global Fund for Coral Reefs (GFCR) with support from the Government of Sweden and the Principality of Monaco.

Objectives

Deliver International agreements

The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, adopted at the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, sets out ambitious global targets for 2030 and beyond. The Breakthrough will be aligned and enable the relevance of coral reefs under these global targets, supporting the delivery of international agreed biodiversity and climate-resilience ambitions.

Ensure recognition

The functional existence of coral reefs, a critical ecosystem, is at stake as a result of the climate crisis and a myriad of other anthropogenic stressors. The Breakthrough will ensure their global recognition as one of the most threatened ecosystems in need of immediate action.

Elevate coral reefs

Coral reefs are essential to the security, resilience, and climate resilience of many nations, including low-lying island states, the most climate-vulnerable nations on Earth. The Breakthrough will maintain the global momentum to successfully conserve, protect and restore coral reefs.

Scale public & Private finances

The Breakthrough will catalyse public and private financial flows and support sustainable business models to activate and scale proven solutions and mobilise actions to achieve the 2030 targets.

Acceleration of Implementation

The Breakthrough will promote and unlock financing to accelerate implementation to reverse the downward trajectory of coral reefs, driving resource allocation and action to stop local and global drivers of decline, and scale cost-efficient conservation and restoration solutions to enable the survival and recovery of resilient coral reefs on a global scale.

Partners

The International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) and the Global Fund for Coral Reefs (GFCR) are co-leading the Coral Reef Breakthrough process with the High-Level Climate Champion Team, with support from Sweden and Monaco

Sharm-El-Sheikh
Adaptation Agenda

Please refer to the Sharm-El-Sheikh Adaptation Agenda, as The Coral Reef Breakthrough is part of the broader agenda supported by the COP27 and COP28 Presidency