Ponant is celebrating World Oceans Day through its commitment to two oceanic projects as part of the Ponant Foundation – the Aldabra Clean-Up and tracking of humpback whales, according to a press release.
The Ponant Foundation first supported the clean-up project of the Aldabra Atoll led by the Seychelles Islands Foundation and Queen’s College. This action, called Aldabra Clean-Up, has resulted in a wave of behavioral changes in the Seychelles and internationally, highlighting the impact of plastic pollution on small island nations.
Two scientific missions were carried out onboard the company’s French-flagged fleet to monitor the island’s marine ecosystem by a team of 12 volunteers. 57,320 pounds of marine debris were removed from Aldabra in weeks between February and April 2019, including 11,023 pounds of plastic sandals which have since been recycled into works of art by schools.
The Ponant Foundation also partnered with NGO Conservation International (CI) to conduct a study on the behavior of humpback whales in Antarctica in February 2020. A CI research team of six scientists spent three weeks aboard one of the company’s vessels capturing 16 hours of underwater recording to collect and analyze information from 60 humpback whales, according to a statement. This mission was carried out with the assistance of company captains and naturalist experts onboard.
Since its founding in June 2019, the Ponant Foundation has supported more than 20 research, awareness and conservation projects tied to its three main initiatives: the preservation of the oceans and the regions and promoting exchanges with local communities.
“The philosophy that has driven us since the company’s creation is the same today: we protect best what we know well. Thus, since 2019, the Ponant Foundation has been working to preserve the oceans and the polar regions and encourage exchanges between peoples. More than 20 research, awareness-raising and conservation projects have been supported around the world,” says Jean Emmanuel Sauvée, President of Ponant and member of the Ponant Foundation Board.
