Water Revolution Foundation crowdfunding for ocean conservation
The non-profit organisation Water Revolution Foundation has launched a crowdfunding campaign to give the superyacht industry the chance to be involved with its first ocean conservation project, the Important Marine Mammal Areas (IMMA) programme. The project aims to help restore the balance of life in the ocean by identifying the most important marine habitats for marine mammals and prioritising them for conservation.
“The objective of the IMMA programme is to map the world ocean and identify the most important habitats for whales, dolphins and other marine mammals,” said Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara, co-chair of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Task Force on Marine Mammal Protected Areas. “If we don’t know the most important places where whales, dolphins, seals, manatees live in the ocean, we can’t protect them.”
Robert van Tol, executive director of Water Revolution Foundation, said: “The [superyachting] industry is intrinsically connected to the ocean. It is therefore only logical that we invest in the health of this crucial natural resource.
“We need to go beyond only reducing our impact. Only then can the superyacht industry succeed in becoming sustainable. We are pleased to see an increasing commitment throughout the yachting community to support the protection of the ocean. Yet, this comes with questions, namely, what are the most effective and impactful projects to support?”
Water Revolution Foundation’s hopes its support of the IMMA programme will demonstrate to the rest of the sector how investment in marine conservation is good business practice.
With 159 IMMAs already established across the Southern Hemisphere, the IUCN task force is now looking to the Northern Hemisphere. Water Revolution Foundation is raising funds for the North Atlantic to be mapped. “This is a popular route for superyachts crossing between the Mediterranean and Caribbean so we, as a community, have a strong connection to this region,” said van Tol.
Identifying IMMAs in the North Atlantic will cost €550,000 ($670,000) with the money directly funding the scientists across the region whose work will make the identification of the IMMAs possible. Learn more about the IMMA programme and contribute to the crowdfunding campaign here.
