GFCR Launches the REEF+ Knowledge and Finance Accelerator and Announces New Partnership with Blue Nature Alliance at COP15

Montréal, New York, 15 November 2022 – Launched during the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in Montréal, the Global Fund for Coral Reefs (GFCR) REEF+ Accelerator will serve as a convening platform to drive finance and knowledge for bankable coral reef solutions globally.

Developed by Conservation Finance Alliance (CFA), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and Ubuntoo, REEF+ showcases reef-positive solutions supported through GFCR blended finance programmes as well other replicable enterprises and finance solutions identified globally. Reef+, now in its first phase, already hosts a catalogue of 170 solutions and 60 knowledge posts, all with potential to scale and replicate for significant global impact.

In subsequent phases, the digital platform will expand its database of enterprises, finance tools, and knowledge products, as well as integrate capacity building, impact tracking, and enhanced connectivity among investors, entrepreneurs, and practitioners.

Chuck Cooper, GFCR Executive Board Chair representing the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, issued his endorsement of REEF+ during COP15, stating, “GFCR’s REEF+ platform will help catalyze action to achieve the Global Biodiversity Framework goals and targets, and serve as a hub for the coral reef community to share knowledge and best practices, identify proven approaches, and accelerate investments that benefit coral reefs and provide returns for investors.”

Join the REEF+ here.

At COP15, GFCR also announced a new partnership with the Blue Nature Alliance (BNA) to advance sustainable ocean financing. The new GFCR-Alliance areas of collaboration will include:

• Coordination of efforts and joint programming to conserve and restore coral reef ecosystems
• Development of ocean-related financial mechanisms
• Monitoring and evaluation of jointly prioritised areas
• Knowledge sharing and strategic advocacy activities

“From providing nursery grounds for important fish and other marine species to helping buffer shorelines—and communities—from storm damage, coral reefs are a crucial part of coastal ecosystems,” said Laure Katz, Blue Nature Alliance Co-Lead. “The Blue Nature Alliance is thrilled to partner with GFCR to protect coral reefs, enhance their resilience to climate change and other threats, and develop innovative ways to fund their ongoing conservation for the benefit of nature and people.”

Both GFCR and Blue Nature Alliance emphasise the urgent need to scale action for climate-resilient coral reef ecosystems, including interventions to reduce local drivers of degradation and strengthen marine protected areas.

About the Global Fund for Coral Reefs

The Global Fund for Coral Reefs (GFCR) is the largest global blended finance vehicle dedicated to the Sustainable Development Goal 14, Life Below Water. The GFCR is designed to scale financial solutions and blue economic growth that bolsters the resilience of coral reefs and the communities that depend on them. GFCR blended finance programmes incubate and scale interventions that address local drivers of coral reef degradation, unlock conservation funding flows, and increase communities’ adaptive capacities. Supported solutions include waste treatment and recycling facilities, coral reef insurance, sustainable aquaculture and agriculture, ecotourism enterprises, blue carbon credits, and sustainably financed Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).

The GFCR Coalition partnership is driven by Member States, UN Agencies, financial institutions, philanthropies, impact investors and organizations. The GFCR Coalition includes the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation; Prince Albert II Monaco Foundation; the Governments of Germany, France, Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom; the Green Climate Fund; Pegasus Capital Advisors; Builders Vision; Bloomberg Philanthropies; the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP); United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF); the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP); the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN); the Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance (ORRAA) and the Coral Research & Development Accelerator Platform (CORDAP).

Dive deeper at www.GlobalFundCoralReefs.org and join our coral reef action communities on Instagram, Twitter,LinkedIn and YouTube.

About the United Nations Development Programme

UNDP is the leading United Nations organization fighting to end the injustice of poverty, inequality, and tackling climate and nature crises for achieving sustainable development. Working with a broad network of experts and partners in 170 countries, UNDP helps nations to build integrated, lasting solutions for people and planet. UNDP is a founding partner of the Global Fund for Coral Reefs and plays a central role in the development of the Fund. UNDP is leading national programmes in Fiji and Papua New Guinea, as well as development of a programme for the Maldives, and the regional initiative in Gulf of Aqaba & Northern Red Sea in partnership with USAID.

More information at www.UNDP.org

About Conservation Finance Alliance

The Conservation Finance Alliance (CFA) is the leading global professional alliance of conservation finance experts, practitioners, and organizations. The CFA’s mission is to promote awareness, expertise, and innovation in conservation finance globally. Conservation finance is the practice of raising, managing, and deploying capital and aligning incentives to support sustainable biodiversity management. Our 2200 individual and 40 institutional members are leading practitioners of conservation finance globally. The CFA hosts three Working Groups, and founded a Sustainable Finance Specialist Group of the World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA). The CFA produces tools, training, publications, webinars, strategic advisory services, and runs a CFA Incubator that supports innovation in conservation finance. More information at www.conservationfinancealliance.org.

About Ubuntoo

Ubuntoo is a global environmental solutions platform that enables collective intelligence to solve the planet’s biggest challenges. Using a combination of AI and human expertise, Ubuntoo provides organizations and institutions with a broad range of vetted sustainability solutions, curated sustainability research, and news, as well as flexible, user-friendly knowledge management and collaboration platforms. The Ubuntoo community includes innovators, academicians, scientists, environmentalists, and corporate professionals from over 150 countries. For more information about Ubuntoo, visit www.ubuntoo.com or connect with the company on LinkedIn.

About the Blue Nature Alliance

The Blue Nature Alliance is a global partnership that collaborates with governments, NGOs, local and Indigenous communities, scientists, and other organizations to catalyze and accelerate large-scale ocean conservation. The Alliance was founded and is led by Conservation International, The Pew Charitable Trusts, The Global Environment Facility, Minderoo Foundation, and the Rob & Melani Walton Foundation. Learn more at https://bluenaturealliance.org.