Germany funds Pacific restoration: €20m backs seven-year island project

Germany is providing €20 million ($23,079,800) to bring native plants and wildlife back to islands in Palau, Samoa, Tonga and Wallis and Futuna. The grant comes from the German Federal Government through its International Climate Initiative (IKI) and will fund a multi-year project called ‘Restoring Pacific Islands for Nature and People’. The initiative will work alongside national governments, customary authorities and local communities to explore and co-design the restoration of the region’s ecologically and culturally significant islands.Islands are particularly vulnerable to biodiversity loss and climate change, but they can also recover quickly. “Restoring islands garners multiple benefits for entire ecosystems, on which island communities rely for food security, health and climate resilience, now and for future generations,” Dr Penny Becker, Chief Executive Officer of Island Conservation, said in a release.Pacific island restorationA healthier island means greater climate resilience, thriving biodiversity and more secure livelihoods for communities. This grant will support island restoration and, in turn, help communities strengthen food security and climate resilience. The pr...