The oceans are at the very heart of our business, and we have a responsibility to keep them healthy. We are committed to treating all ballast water that gets discharged by our ships, and mitigate the risks associated with oil spills with stringent procedures and contingency plans. Our biodiversity efforts go beyond operational standards, and we strive to do more.
The Marshall Foundation, founded in 2009, has given more than 10 charitable grants to support organisations that are dedicated to biodiversity work around the world.
The organisations supported by The Marshall Foundation include:
CITES
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) – With the aim of ensuring that international trade in wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival, CITES accords varying degrees of protection to more than 37,000 species of animals and plants. The Marshall Foundation has sponsored various awareness-raising activities for species-protection, including video documentaries and exhibitions targeting Africa, South East Asia, and China.
The Stairway Foundation
This charitable organisation (based in Puerto Galera, Philippines), delivers a wide range of community service activities, including environmental awareness and protection programmes. The Marshall Foundation supports their Sea Adventure School and funded the construction of a boat, named “Berge Apo”. This boat serves as a floating classroom – taking local children to different sites around the beautiful Puerto Galera bay, where they learn first-hand about important marine ecosystems such as coral reefs, sea grass, and mangroves.
The Berge Apo serves as a floating classroom.
As part of the experience, participants also clean up a local mangrove forest. The forest gets congested with rubbish, as it washes in with the sea, from nearby villages and tourist destinations. Today more than 2,000 people participate in the Sea Adventure School each year, and it has been endorsed by the National Department of Education as an official part of the science class curriculum among high school students in the district of Puerto Galera.
WILDAID
An international environmental organisation whose goal is to reduce global consumption of wildlife products. Their high-profile campaigns lead with a simple but powerful message: “when the buying stops, the killing can too.” The Marshall Foundation has been supporting WildAid since 2015 – funding their multimedia campaigns that are designed to reduce demand for various marine species, including manta rays and sharks.
The Marshall Foundation has also been supporting their sea turtle conservation campaign in China which has resulted in 70% reduction in illegal turtle products available in key hot-bed tourist markets.
