PRINCIPLE 1: Ecosystem restoration contributes to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and goal of the Rio Conventions
Marine restoration projects, from small sites to large seascapes, both in and outside protected areas play a critical role in achieving global biodiversity and sustainability targets.
PRINCIPLE 2: Inclusive and participatory governance, social fairness and equity are applied throughout process and outcomes
Stakeholders, rights-holders, and under-represented groups (e.g. local communities, Indigenous peoples, ethnic minorities, women, youth and LGBTIQ+), should be equitably and inclusively provided with opportunities to be engaged and integrated in meaningful, free and active ways. Ensuring diverse stakeholders are engaged in marine restoration projects at all stages, will build long-term support and ensure local needs and priorities are addressed. Guidance has been developed to account for and address equity and justice in marine conservation and to support the development of participatory processes and effective partnerships.
PRINCIPLE 3: Ecosystem restoration includes a continuum of restoration activities
Ecosystem restoration includes a range of activities that result in net gains for biodiversity, ecosystem health and integrity, and human well-being, including sustainable production of goods and services. Knowledge of the range of potential restoration activities possible for a location will help identify the correct activity or suite of activities to achieve a project's goals.
PRINCIPLE 4: Ecosystem restoration aims to achieve the highest level of recovery for biodiversity, ecosystem health and integrity and human well-being
Restoration projects should aim to achieve outcomes that support biodiversity, ecosystem health and human well-being. Actions should support natural recovery and not cause further degradation. The use of reference habitats or systems can help a project understand what level of recovery is achievable. For example, having good condition coral reefs nearby, that will enable comparison of local restored reefs, helps guide understanding of what level of recovery is achievable. Marine protected areas can provide these reference ecosystems and benchmarks for monitoring of local restoration projects.
PRINCIPLE 5: Ecosystem restoration addresses the direct and indirect causes of degradation
In restoration project planning and design, a critical step is to identify and address what caused the initial degradation. Restoration conducted without addressing the underlying cause of decline is likely to fail. Addressing the causes of decline will require the incorporation of complementary actions that intersect with marine natural resource management (such as fishery management, coastal management, addressing sources of land-based pollution, mitigating impacts of coastal and marine infrastructure). The management actions of an MPA or OECM often already encompass the complimentary actions listed above addressing the direct and indirect causes of degradation.
PRINCIPLE 6: Incorporate all types of knowledge and promote their exchange and integration
Engaging different types of knowledge (indigenous, traditional, local, and scientific ways of knowing) is essential to support effective planning and design of marine restoration projects. Such integration will foster inclusive and consensual decision-making, while enabling full participation of local stakeholders and right-holders. Guidance has been developed to support the development of effective partnerships with Indigenous Peoples and local communities.
PRINCIPLE 7: Ecosystem restoration is based on well-defined ecological, cultural, and socioeconomic objectives and goals
During co-design and planning for restoration projects and programs, realistic and achievable short-, medium- and long term ecological, cultural and socio-economic goals and objectives should be established. Measurable objectives allow for clear communication of results and enable monitoring, evaluation and adaptive management.
PRINCIPLE 8: Ecosystem restoration should be tailored to local ecological, cultural, and socioeconomic contexts, considering larger landscape or seascape
Regardless of the scale that restoration is implemented, the ecological, cultural and socio-economic contexts must be considered throughout the restoration process. Doing so helps to ensure that restoration projects support local priorities, values, and needs. For marine restoration, the local context (degree of human impact, habitat, human uses and values, environmental and socio-economic factors) regarding where the restoration activity is located is often of greater relevance to a successful outcome than how (method) the restoration is implemented.
PRINCIPLE 9: Ecosystem restoration includes monitoring, evaluation, and adaptive management throughout lifetime of project
Long-term monitoring and evaluation is a key part of all marine restoration efforts. For monitoring to be effective, it should be initiated at the beginning of the restoration project so baseline measurements of indicators can be collected. Baseline data on species and habitats, their condition, human uses, and causes of degradation, are needed to inform restoration measures of success. Monitoring programs should engage all relevant stakeholders and include ecological, social, and governance indicators (e.g., fish catch yields, coastal erosion rates, level of conflict among stakeholders). Further, as changing conditions are inevitable, adaptive management is necessary to help identify unanticipated outcomes and guidance for improving future actions.
PRINCIPLE 10: Policies and measures that promote long-term progress are needed to foster replication and scaling up
To achieve restoration objectives, a supportive policy environment and intersectoral policy coordination is essential. “Successful projects empower communities, engage local governments and ensure that local actions are strengthened by policies and planning.” Indeed, projects are likely to be more accepted when their goals include ecosystem services (e.g., coastal protection, job creation) that benefit stakeholders. It may also be possible to create opportunities for public-private partnerships and market-based incentives for businesses and individuals (e.g., Australia’s carbon credits for carbon farming from tidal restoration of blue carbon ecosystems).
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