The main objectives of this study is:
To enhance capacities of local stakeholders in the assessment of environmental challenges and implementation of appropriate approaches to address nutrient, wastewater and other forms of land-based pollution that impacts coral reef ecosystems;
To strengthen the community of practice in pollution and coral reef protection at the regional level through knowledge exchange and transfer;
To contribute to leveraging of additional financing for on-ground investments in best practices to reduce the influx of land-based pollution in the target area;
To define methodologies for assessment and monitoring of Sustainable Development Goal targets 6.3 and 14.1 associated with freshwater and marine pollution respectively, within the source-to-sea/ridge-to-reef framework;
To contribute to obligations under relevant United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) resolutions associated with coral reef management, freshwater and marine pollution, in addition to obligations under the South Asian Seas Programme (SASP), notably the South Asian Seas Agreement aiming at protecting the marine environment from land and sea-based activities;
To contribute to activities in commemoration of the 2018 International Year of the Coral Reef through UN Environment’s coral reef campaign and the wider ‘Call for Action’ from the UN SDG14 Ocean Conference.