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Social and Environmental Compliance Unit - Case Registry

SECU Cases Overview >> Registration Card

Registration Card - SECU0012

    Project Name: Mainstreaming biodiversity into the management of the coastal zone in the Republic of Mauritius
    Date Complaint Filed:  Saturday, March 23, 2019
    Date Complaint Registered:  Thursday, March 28, 2019
    Project Description: 
    The objective of the project is to mainstream the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity and ecosystem services into coastal zone management (CZM) in the Republic of Mauritius.
    Requestor(s): Aret Kokin Nu Laplaz (AKNL)
    Synopsis of Complaint:
    The complaint lays out a number of grievances with the current environmental and conservation landscape in Mauritius, and alleges that UNDP-GEF's work in the country to protect Environmental Sensitive Areas is tantamount to greenwashing in light of the permits being issued by the government for construction projects along the country's coast. An excerpt from the complaint: "The latest UNDP-GEF programme is supremely ironic: over 2018 -2021, to the tune of 4.7 million US Dollars, it will aim at producing tools for better protection of coastal ESAs and ensuring Integrated Coastal Zone Management. Except that since the start of 2018, a number of new beach hotels and luxury estate projects have been approved by the Ministry of Environment in the coastal zone, with a further dozen at least under consideration. ESAs present within or adjacent to hotel project sites are being approved for destruction on a rapid and grand scale. Their existence, though explicitly identified in the 2009 ESA inventory, is barely mentioned, if not omitted in the EIA reports submitted by developers and EIA licenses subsequently issued by the Ministry. This new UNDP-GEF programme will be a total waste of money if the Government does not freeze all current EIA licenses and building permits for major developments on the coast, as there will not be much left to protect by the time this new GEF and UNDP programme will conclude. GEF and UNDP will in effect be validating the way the Government of Mauritius is managing development in coastal areas. This is tantamount to greenwashing."
    News and Updates:
    None
    Project Details
    Atlas/Project #
    00096201
    Project Risk Category
    Low
    Implementing Partner
    • Government Entity – Department within a Ministry - Mauritius Oceanography Institute
    Financial Information
    • Total resources required (total project funds)
    • [A + B + C]
    • USD 21,803,777 [A] Total allocated resources in this award (UNDP managed funds) USD 4,684,600
    • - Regular resources (UNDP TRAC)
    • USD 20, 000
    • - GEF
    • USD 4,664,600 [B] UNDP managed funds allocated to other awards: USD 50,000 [C] Other (partner managed resources): USD 17,910,000
    • - Government
    • USD 9,392,208
    • - NGOs
    • USD 4,766,969
    • - Private & Academia
    • USD 2,910,000
    Mauritius