Chagos Conservation Trust joins official partner network of the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030

The Chagos Conservation Trust (CCT) has been successful in its application to be an ‘actor’ for the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, due to its work helping to “prevent, halt, and reverse the degradation of ecosystems worldwide”. 

In the confirmation letter, the UN Decade’s Jean-Philippe Salcedo said: “We congratulate you [CCT] on your work protecting the Chagos Archipelago’s rare haven coral reefs in the Indian Ocean. With this, you have become part of a growing #GenerationRestoration movement.”

This global movement acts as a platform for partners (‘actors’) to connect and support the acceleration of ecosystem restoration efforts. CCT joins other conservation organisations, charities, and agencies around the world, who are already responsible for thousands of initiatives currently driving positive changes on the ground. 

This includes CCT’s ‘Healthy Islands, Healthy Reefs’ project, aiming to rewild 30 ecologically degraded islands of the outer atolls of the Chagos Archipelago, returning them to refuges for native species and supporting thriving coral reefs.

Salcedo continued: “A decade may sound like a long time, but it is the next ten years that scientists tell us matter most in our fight against catastrophic climate change, and in protecting the one million species currently threatened with extinction. Reviving hundreds of millions of hectares across terrestrial and marine ecosystems is a daunting task. It cannot be met by any one entity alone. For the next ten years, every action matters. Every single day.”

The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration is a rallying call for the protection and revival of ecosystems all around the world, for the benefit of people and nature.

CCT Director, Sarah Puntan-Galea, said: “Being part of this dedicated, inspiring and influential global movement is very important for the Trust, because it supports our ongoing ecosystem restoration efforts. By the end of the decade, we too will have made a significant amount of progress towards creating a better world for all of us.

“Together, as a movement, we can do more - and we must intensify our efforts to protect as much of our natural world as possible, bringing back to life areas which have been eradicated due to human activity. Initiatives driven by the UN Decade will restore ecosystems to support a more sustainable future for the planet,” Puntan-Galea said.

CCT Chair, Dr Natasha Gibson, added:

“As a Trust, and now UN Decade actor, we are committed to supporting and facilitating ecosystem restoration activities. Our ‘Healthy Island, Healthy Reefs’ project epitomises the UN Decade principles we have promised to adhere to by joining the #GenerationRestoration network - to maximise our positive impact on the planet, and ensure best practice as part of an international effort to restore precious ecosystems and the species that live within them.

“Ecosystem restoration projects will also support several of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, improving lives all around the world, as well as protecting important habitats and species.”

Further information:

United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030 decadeonrestoration.org/ The Chagos Conservation Trust chagos-trust.org (or message CCT’s Director Sarah Puntan-Galea at director@chagos-trust.org)

If you would like to help the Chagos Conservation Trust continue its rewilding and ecosystem restoration work, become a member here, or donate here.