In recognition of this ground-breaking initiative, Conservation International pledged $3 million toward an endowment to sustainably finance the Challenge. The Nature Conservancy has already pledged an additional $3 million, and in 2010 the Global Environment Facility approved a $6 million regional grant to help meet funding requirements. As part of these agreements, Micronesia Challenge member states Palau, FSM, and RMI committed to matching pledged funds 2:1, making substantial progress to establish protected areas networks guided by standards set forth in the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD), and developing local income generating mechanisms to fund continuing conservation activities under the Micronesia Challenge.
“Conservation International has had a long history of support for conservation projects in Micronesia, and this 6-year commitment represents our most significant investment to date,” Mr Donoghue said. “Besides our commitment to the Micronesia Challenge in the Marshall Islands, Palau and FSM, CI is also devoting significant resources to protected area development across the Pacific Islands region as part of the Pacific Oceanscape. We see the Micronesia Challenge and the Pacific Oceanscape as complementary vehicles for the conservation and sustainable management of living marine resources in the Pacific Ocean. We will also continue to support individual projects connected with marine conservation in Micronesia, with a special focus on the region’s ocean voyagers – the sharks, turtles and whales.”
For more information, visit this link
