Excerpt from pew.org
The Small Island Developing States (SIDS)—a group of 57 United Nations members and associate members—are home to 65 million people across 1,000 islands, 20% of global biodiversity, and 40% of the world’s coral reefs. (See Figure 1.) The SIDS share a common set of significant challenges to preservation and protection of the natural marine and coastal treasures their economies depend on.
Financial constraints, including high debt burdens that often exceed 60% of gross domestic product, consume substantial portions of national budgets and leave limited funding for conservation investments, climate adaptation, or environmental management. These debt challenges are exacerbated by small but growing populations that increase demand for housing, infrastructure, and services, and by the effects of climate change—which all put pressure on fragile coastal ecosystems and limited land resources.