Moroni, Comoros - 16 December 2025

In the Comoros, the ocean has always defined the rhythm of life - a provider, protector, and link between islands. Today, it is also the focus of one of the country’s most ambitious undertakings: a new way of planning and managing the ocean that treats it as both a natural asset and a common trust.

Among the few such examples in the Indian Ocean, Comoros' Coelacanth National Park has launched a Marine Spatial Plan (MSP) under the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration’s SIDS Restoration Flagship, a World Restoration initiative co-led by FAO and UNEP, in collaboration with the Government of the Union of the Comoros. This new tool is helping operationalize the recently unveiled Marine Spatial Planning Roadmap for Comoros, launched at the WIOMSA Scientific Symposium in 2025, which set out the national vision for sustainable use of marine spaces.  

A Marine Spatial Plan is essentially a map for the ocean, a tool that helps countries decide what activities should happen where, ensuring that nature, livelihoods and development can coexist in harmony. It helps determine what happens where, so that economic development (like fisheries, tourism, and shipping), conservation priorities (including Marine Protected Areas), and community needs can coexist without conflict or degradation.
An MSP brings together scientific data, local knowledge, and government priorities to provide a coherent, long-term vision for how a country uses and protects its marine and coastal space.

“The Marine Spatial Plan for the Coelacanth National Park is the cherry on the cake following an effective and strong partnership between the local communities, the Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Fisheries and FAO,” says Benjamin De Ridder, Forestry Officer at FAO. “It showcases how a participative and geospatial approach towards integrated and sustainable ecosystem management can empower local managers and communities to both protect their marine and coastal ecosystems while ensuring local economic empowerment. This will inspire other communities and islands to follow suit.”

This milestone signals a new way of governing the ocean: not through restrictions, but through dialogue, inclusion, and shared stewardship. The plan brings together government agencies, fishers, women’s cooperatives, youth groups and scientists to chart how marine space can support both biodiversity and livelihoods.

The MSP serves as a blueprint for coexistence, ensuring coral reefs, mangroves and seagrass meadows remain healthy while creating zones for artisanal fishing, eco-tourism and aquaculture.  The plan establishes clear spatial zoning, community co-management mechanisms, and an adaptive review system. It aligns biodiversity conservation with livelihood diversification, pollution control, and climate adaptation. aligning with Sustainable Development Goal 14 (Life Below Water).

Through months of participatory mapping and community dialogue, local voices helped shape every aspect of the plan. Villagers from Chindini, Malé and Salimani traced fishing grounds on maps, identified nesting beaches for sea turtles, and pinpointed fragile coral sites. Each discussion blended traditional knowledge with modern science, making this a benchmark for inclusive marine planning exercises in the Comoros.

“The Coelacanth Marine Plan is a story of partnership and possibility,” says Georgina Avlonitis, Global Coordinator of the SIDS Restoration Flagship at UNEP. “It’s not about drawing lines on a map; it’s about building bridges between people and their ocean. It shows that when science listens and communities lead, restoration becomes a movement that can redefine how small islands secure their blue future.”

The Coelacanth National Park, named after the ancient “living fossil” fish that has survived for over 350 million years, is a symbol of resilience. Yet its coral reefs, seagrass beds and mangroves face mounting pressure from overexploitation and climate change. The Marine Spatial Plan directly addresses these threats by defining conservation areas, sustainable-use zones, and adaptive management mechanisms that protect nature while securing livelihoods.
The plan responds directly to these challenges through spatial responses which include: 

• Strict protection zones safeguarding coral reefs and turtle nesting sites
• Restoration areas prioritizing mangrove restoration in Ouroveni and Simamboini, coral gardening in Chindini, and dune stabilization along key beaches.
• Sustainable use of zones supporting small-scale fisheries and eco-tourism under community co-management agreements.
• Coastal protection corridors banning extraction of sand aggregates to halt erosion and rebuild natural defenses. 

By aligning spatial regulation with scientific evidence and community knowledge, the MSP creates a living framework- dynamic, evidence-based, and grounded in continuous monitoring.

“What stands out in Comoros is not just the plan but the process which is locally led, inclusive and anchored in the knowledge of those who live by the ocean,” notes Faissoil Mhadji, National Coordinator of the SIDS Flagship. “It’s a powerful reminder that when people are part of the solution, restoration becomes real."

The Marine Spatial Plan is a living and evolving document. It will be refined through periodic reviews, scientific monitoring, and continuous feedback from communities. It provides a foundation for long-term resilience guiding investments in ecosystem restoration, waste management, and climate adaptation while promoting a sustainable blue economy.

Hassane Mlatamou, a local fisher, narrates how communities were consulted throughout this process. “Before this program, there were no clear rules — it was chaotic,” he says. “This plan is a key tool for reducing intercommunity conflicts and tensions between traditional and artisanal fishers in the Coelacanth National Park area. Above all, it reassures everyone that the sea belongs to all of us.”

The Coelacanth MSP is the first major step in the SIDS Restoration Flagship’s long-term ambition to help island nations transition toward sustainable, resilient blue economies. By clarifying how marine space should be protected, restored and used, Comoros now has the enabling foundation needed to guide investments in conservation, restoration, community livelihoods and climate resilience.

This momentum comes at a pivotal moment for the Flagship. Saint Lucia and Vanuatu are now preparing to launch their own national processes, drawing on the lessons and participatory approaches pioneered in the Comoros. As these islands move from planning into implementation, the Flagship will connect them through SIDS-to-SIDS peer learning, sharing tools, innovations, restoration models and community-led solutions.

Together, Comoros, Saint Lucia and Vanuatu are shaping a new generation of island leadership under the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration - restoring ecosystems not in isolation, but as part of a shared pathway toward a healthier ocean, thriving communities and a truly sustainable blue economy.

Read the full Marine Spatial Plan for the Coelacanth National Park

About the SIDS Restoration Flagship

The SIDS Restoration Flagship is one of the World Restoration Flagships under the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021–2030). Led by UNEP, FAO and in partnership with UNDESA, it supports restoration across three Small Island Developing States (Comoros, Vanuatu and Saint Lucia), strengthening resilience from ridge to reef and empowering communities to lead nature-based solutions.

Acknowledgement: Supported by the Governments of Germany and Denmark through the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration Multi-Partner Trust Fund.