LEGACY
PROTECTING WHAT WE LOVE
Hurtigruten Foundation’s support of environmental and community projects is helping protect and improve the special places we visit.
WORDS PETER SIMS
LEGACY
PROTECTING WHAT WE LOVE
Hurtigruten Foundation’s support of environmental and community projects is helping protect and improve the special places we visit.
WORDS PETER SIMS
A vulnerable petrel chick nestled in its burrow. Photo by Jacob Salinas
Wherever Hurtigruten sails, our Foundation provides grants to support projects that make the world a better place. From cleaning up beaches and protecting endangered birds to helping disadvantaged kids and constructing new trails — our list of supported projects keeps on growing.
The Galápagos Islands, with their volcano-formed landscapes and spectacular flora and fauna, make for the quintessential expedition cruise. People go there to marvel at the wildlife and learn how evolution shapes the world around us. Nobody goes away disappointed.
Fundación Jocotoco established a 101-hectare reserve in the highlands of San Cristobal Island.
However, even in this carefully protected place, there is vital conservation work to do. Hurtigruten Foundation is helping environmentalists with the nature-focused NGO Fundación de Conservación Jocotoco defend critically endangered seabirds from invasive species introduced to the islands by humans. “I’m grateful our grant was approved,” says Martin Schaefer, CEO of Fundación de Conservación Jocotoco. “It’s being used to protect a colony of Galápagos petrels. These birds breed in burrows and their principal threats are predation by feral cats, dogs and rats, and trampling from livestock.”
Fundación de Conservación Jocotoco is aiming to increase Galápagos petrel numbers. Photo by Jacob Salinas
A feral cat scopes out a petrel burrow. Click play to watch.
Schaefer’s team is now attempting the herculean task of eradicating the introduced predators from the islands, and giving the birds an extra helping hand.
These endangered petrels are only found in the Galápagos.
“We protect the Galápagos petrels and the many other unique species in our reserve by capturing rats, and we’ve been able to increase the breeding success of these long-lived birds almost fourfold in three years,” he says. It’s a desire to support outcomes like these that led Hurtigruten to establish its Foundation back in 2015. Since then, Hurtigruten Foundation funding has helped support more than 50 projects in 12 countries. The projects all work across one or more focus areas: battling plastic waste and marine litter, preserving endangered wildlife, and supporting the communities in the areas where the company operates.
Universidad de los Andes researchers are DNA-profiling humpback whales and leopard seals.
Henrik Lund, Managing Director of the Foundation says, “We are fortunate to visit such places, and the work of the Foundation is integrated into everything we do. It’s an intricate part of who we are and why we’re received as guests — because we give back.”
Deciding which projects to support is a mammoth task. "We get so many good applications, it’s incredibly difficult to identify the best."
— Henrik Lund
Hurtigruten guests are assisting with the Universidad de los Andes project as Citizen Scientists.
From Alaska to Antarctica and beyond
Schaefer’s conservation-focused NGO is just one of nine projects to recently receive funding from the Foundation, while others include a study of Alaska’s Copper River Delta that will see researchers investigate the ingestion of plastic by the migrant shorebirds which stop there each spring on their way to their breeding grounds. In addition, a further winning project will study two of the most emblematic species of Antarctica — the humpback whale and the leopard seal — to learn more about their genetic diversity, population structure and distribution.
The DNA of humpback whales is literally going under the microscope.
Researchers hope to learn more about the genetics of leopard seals.
Deciding which projects to support is a mammoth task, says Lund. “We get so many good applications, it’s incredibly difficult to identify the best.” One of those involved in judging the applications, Marcelo Lu, backs this up: “It’s a balancing act as we have limited funds. We look for significant positive impacts on the environment, communities and educational initiatives.”
Tarevokterne (Sea Kelp Guardians) remove sea urchins and help Norway's kelp forests to grow back.
Sourcing the funding
Hurtigruten Foundation’s funding comes from a range of sources. Onboard guests can participate in the Green Stay Programme, where they ‘earn’ donations to the Foundation for environmentally-friendly actions, such as reusing towels. They can donate directly, both onboard and after their expedition cruise, or purchase from a range of sustainability-focused merchandise that raises project funds. A particularly fun way for guests to contribute is by bidding for intriguing items, such as the ship’s charts from their expedition cruise, during an onboard charity auction. The Expedition Teams organise the auctions to give guests the opportunity to take home unique mementos while knowing that their money is going to a good cause.
Aktiv i Friluft received funding for their beach clean up activities at Isfjorden.
A future worth investing in
For conservationists like those working to save the ground-nesting Galápagos Petrels, the latest round of donations will help them continue their work. As Schaefer says, “The next step is to build a fence that will keep out livestock and dogs. This will allow us to restore the fragile ecosystem.”
With their Hurtigruten Foundation grant, Aktiv i Friluft will be able to rent a boat to reach inaccessible parts of the fjord.
For other organisations, the injection of funds will enable them to finally launch new initiatives. But, whether transforming a small place in the world for the better, or improving our understanding of it, each project will play its part in promoting and safeguarding the richness and diversity of our planet for the generations to come.