Given the close inter-connections between land, water and coastal systems in small island developing states (SIDS), the integration of freshwater watershed management with coastal area management is considered essential to foster effective cross-sectoral coordination in the planning and management of land, water and coastal uses.

In Pacific SIDS, such integrated approaches to freshwater and coastal area management have been termed 'Ridge to Reef' to emphasise the inter-connections between the natural and social systems from the mountain 'ridges' of volcanic islands, through coastal watersheds and habitats, and across coastal lagoons to the fringing 'reef' environments.

The Regional Ridge to Reef in Pacific island countries addresses the high-level recognition and calls for results-based approaches to the management of development assistance programmes and projects, and will support the coordination, capacity building, technical assistance, and monitoring and evaluation of the broader Pacific Ridge to Reef Programme. 

What we do

To test the mainstreaming of 'ridge-to-reef', climate resilient approaches to integrated land, water, forest and coastal management in Pacific island countries through strategic planning, capacity building and piloted local actions to sustain livelihoods and preserve ecosystem services.