Indian Ocean Coastal Regeneration Initiative

Empowering coastal communities and ecosystems to sustainably support each other and thrive

Over one billion people living along the Indian Ocean coast are on the frontlines of climate change. The rapidly evolving impacts are threatening lives and livelihoods, and deepening poverty and food insecurity. Poverty in turn fuels overuse of coastal natural resources as a means of survival; conservation efforts cannot be sustained without addressing the pressing needs of coastal communities and supporting them as stewards of these vital habitats.

The Indian Ocean Coastal Regeneration Initiative (IOCRI) aims to raise US$500 million to strengthen the livelihoods of millions of coastal residents and protect and restore 100,000 hectares of coastal ecosystems upon which they rely. IOCRI will support the scaling of livelihoods, energy and conservation approaches that enable communities and nature to mutually thrive and support one another, thereby contributing to the Global Biodiversity Framework commitment to restore 30% of all degraded ecosystems by 2030.

Locations: India, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique Pakistan, Tanzania.

Core Interventions

1. Protect and restore mangroves: Support community-led re/afforestation, rehabilitation and protection initiatives, including management zones.
2. Promote regenerative farming: Provide alternatives to fishing; regenerative farming offers sustainable economic opportunities and reduces the ecological impact of farming on coastal ecosystems.
3. Catalyse green and blue economies: Incubate and scale enterprises in key value chains that provide jobs and reduce pressure on coastal ecosystems and provide TVET and skills training.
4. Promote clean energy: Reduce deforestation by increasing access to clean and affordable energy both for household needs and to enable blue and green enterprise growth.
5. Build ‘water secure communities’: Improve domestic and productive infrastructure and strengthen community management of water resources, strengthening resilience to water-related climate impacts.
6. Improve nutrition: Strengthen food systems to increase access to and consumption of sustainable, nutrient-dense local food resources.
7. Support community institutions: Strengthen capacity and leadership skills of local organisations and leaders (focusing on women) to develop climate resilience plans and innovative solutions.

Results so far

• India: 33ha of mangroves planted in partnership with CIFF; 30,000+ farmers adopting regenerative agriculture practices covering 30,000+ acres, and 86,000+ acres brought under irrigation.
• Madagascar: +6,000 community members supported to take up alternative, non-marine livelihoods and clean cooking to reduce pressure on mangroves and marine ecosystems.
• Mozambique: 52ha of mangroves restored and 450ha protected through the training and empowerment of 446 women now earning an income through beekeeping, crab fattening, and other alternative livelihoods.
• Kenya: 60ha of degraded mangroves restored by planting 200,000+ mangrove trees.
• Pakistan: 500 households supported to access clean energy and adopt regenerative farming to reduce mangrove deforestation, decreasing disaster risk in 20 villages.
• Tanzania: +425,000 mangroves planted and alternative livelihoods supported through regenerative farming.

Join the IOCRI platform

• Whole of programme: Partnership across all six countries and sectors.
• Livelihoods & communities: Partnership focusing on livelihoods and community, including regenerative farming, enterprise development, education, etc.
• Marine ecosystems: Partnership focused on marine ecosystems, including conservation, restoration, and/or the blue economy.
• Country/region specific: Partnership in one country or region, covering all or some sectors.

Current partners