Around the world, healthy ocean ecosystems, which are a key source of food and livelihoods for coastal communities and beyond, are under threat. The effects of climate change and biodiversity loss have caused coastal erosion and infertile wetlands that jeopardize the economic, social and environmental viability of coastal regions and communities, particularly those in developing countries where the impacts are highest.
As part of International Development Week 2023, the Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan, Minister of International Development and Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada, today announced a total of $69.5 million in funding for climate finance to support 4 nature-based-solutions projects that will help marginalized communities adapt to climate change, strengthen biodiversity and reduce poverty.
Three of these projects are part of Canada's Partnering for Climate initiative, announced in February 2022, to support projects implemented by civil society organizations in Canada and abroad, other organizations in Canada and Indigenous peoples that will support climate change adaptation in Sub-Saharan Africa and other parts of the world. The 3 projects are Regenerative Seascapes for People, Climate and Nature in Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Comoros and Madagascar; Natur'ELLES in Senegal; and Conservation and Sustainable Management of Coastal and Marine Ecosystems in Kenya.
The fourth project is Nature-Based Solutions for Climate Adaptation: Monitoring and Impact project, which supports partners of Canada's nature-positive climate finance programming in developing countries.
Minister Sajjan made the announcement at the Fifth International Marine Protected Areas Congress (IMPAC5) in Vancouver, British Columbia, during a panel discussion on marine nature-based solutions and climate, hosted by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and moderated by Stewart Maginnis, Deputy Director General-Programme, ICUN. The panel included Minister Sajjan; Heremoana Maamaatuaiahutapu, Minister of Culture, Environment and Marine Resources, French Polynesia; Peter Thomson, United Nations Secretary-General's Special Envoy for the Ocean; Maxine Burkett, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Oceans, Fisheries and Polar Affairs, U.S. State Department; and Jennifer Clark, Chief Scientific Officer, Cascadia Seaweed.
While at IMPAC5, Minister Sajjan also met individually with Mr. Thomson to discuss sustainable solutions for marine protected areas and small island developing states in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean, as well as strengthening Canada's relations in the Indo-Pacific region.
