Empowering stewardship in the Coral Triangle

This project aims to empower women to lead and implement initiatives focused on natural resource management and climate actions. It seeks to build resilience and restore conserve and sustainably manage key biodiversity and protected areas in the Coral Triangle a region that is the epicentre of the planet's marine biodiversity. Project activities include: (1) training women on natural resource management skills species and biodiversity monitoring gender-based violence prevention organizational strengthening and financial literacy for women and women-led and community-based organizations; (2) supporting climate vulnerability assessments in 4 Coral Triangle countries to identify climate-related risks to people and coastal ecosystems to better integrate strategies for adaptation to climate change into natural resource management approaches; (3) establishing a mentorship program for women to run natural resource-based businesses and community-based fundraising services to help women establish and run sustainable income generation activities; and (4) supporting women leaders’ participation to international conferences on biodiversity climate change including to the Coral Triangle Initiative Women Leaders’ Forum. The Project aims to benefit more than 11 000 vulnerable women youth and Indigenous Peoples and supports improved management of 65 000 hectares of terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Women-led conservation measures are developed and applied in at least 22 300 hectares of Protected Areas in the Coral Triangle.

The expected outcomes of this project include: (1) increased women-led sustainable natural resource management at selected sites in at least 3 Coral Triangle countries by 2030 leading to benefits for biodiversity and key ecosystems; (2) increased access of women to financial mechanisms that support equitable participation of women in natural resource management and climate resilience actions in at least 4 Coral Triangle countries by 2030 to strengthen biodiversity and protect key ecosystems; and (3) enhanced participation of women in policy development for natural resource management and climate resilience in the Coral Triangle by 2030.