According to a company press release, the Carnival Foundation’s support will be directed toward identifying locations where industry and community are most dependent on marine and coastal resources – including key conservation priority sites where Carnival Corporation and its 10 cruise line brands operate. The Nature Conservancy’s work in these regions, backed by the Carnival Foundation, will help quantify the value of marine ecosystems and help the Conservancy develop mapping tools to guide investment decisions for conservation in the regions.

Additionally, support from Carnival Foundation will enable the Conservancy to significantly scale coral restoration initiatives within the Caribbean, and continue to advance important science that shows how coral reefs and other natural systems can help reduce risks to coastal communities from storms and sea levels rising.

This agreement follows a recent announcement from Carnival Corporation that it will significantly increase installations of its industry-first exhaust gas cleaning technology to more than 70 percent of its fleet to reduce emissions and improve air quality. Carnival also recently announced it is on track to meet its goal to reduce its rate of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from shipboard operations by 20 percent by 2015.

The Nature Conservancy is a conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. The Conservancy and its more than one million members have protected nearly 120 million acres worldwide.

Carnival Foundation is dedicated to creating positive change through empowering youth, enhancing education and strengthening families. In the past five years alone, Carnival Corporation and its employees have made more than $30 million in financial contributions and in-kind donations to a variety of local and national charities.