FAO and GEF launch program to curb nutrient pollution in coastal waters
A global program called CHOIP, backed by more than $110 million from the Global Environment Facility, has been launched in Rome to reduce nutrient pollution reaching coastal waters in 13 countries.
The Clean and Healthy Ocean Integrated Program (CHOIP) was formally launched globally on Tuesday at the headquarters of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Rome. Funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the initiative aims to reduce nutrient pollution that flows into coastal waters from agriculture, urban wastewater and industry. It covers 13 countries and 11 Large Marine Ecosystems.
The program has mobilized more than $110 million in GEF financing and $821 million in co-financing. It is co-led by FAO, the Asian Development Bank, the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Conservation International, the Inter-American Development Bank, the UN Development Programme, the UN Environment Programme and the World Bank are partners in implementation.
Expected results
The program aims to restore more than 93,000 hectares of ecosystems, improve practices across 1.3 million hectares of landscapes and 10.5 million hectares of marine habitat, and strengthen management of 311,000 hectares of terrestrial and 414,000 hectares of marine protected areas. It also targets about 9.6 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent in mitigation and direct benefits for nearly 526,000 people.
FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu said oceans connect everyone and keeping them clean is a shared responsibility. He noted that pollution often begins far inland and affects fishers, farmers and coastal communities, threatening food security, livelihoods and nutrition. "We need to act from source to sea," he said.
Excess nitrogen and phosphorus can enter rivers and coastal waters through agricultural runoff, wastewater and industrial discharges. This can trigger excessive algal growth and lower oxygen levels, endangering marine life and fisheries.
GEF Chief Executive Officer Diego Mesa Puyo said healthy ocean ecosystems support an estimated $2.5 trillion in economic activity each year.
Examples by country
In Madagascar, the program will help communities adopt sustainable farming practices. In Viet Nam's Red River Delta, it will support farmers in improving fertilizer management. In Peru's Paracas Bay, scientists and farmers will test growing seaweed alongside scallops to absorb excess nutrients.
