Imagine peaceful tranquility, amazing views, napping in cushy chairs while the yacht sways gently in waters. Aaahhh… the beauty of the ocean: its vast blue waters, colorful fish gliding among corals and dancing through the sea. Deep below the surface, lies a fascinating world full of yet-to-be-discovered life forms, with their intricate underwater geography and captivating ecosystems.
Most of our planet is made of water and most of our water is in oceans. Water constitutes 71% of the total surface of Earth, holds around 97% of the H2O and is the largest space in our universe known to be inhabited by living organisms.
Oceans generate half of the oxygen we breathe, mitigate the effects of climate change and provide a sixth of the animals we consume. Healthy oceans support life on Earth as we know it. But it’s a matter of time before the diverse marine ecosystems degrade beyond our power to preserve them.
Unless we do something about it, now.
With the clock ticking for urgent action, the Swiss luxury-watch manufacturer, Jaeger-LeCoultre, started a partnership with New York Times Global, the International Herald Tribune and UNESCO World Heritage Centre in 2008, to raise awareness and provide funds to protect marine sites around the world.
The campaign is titled “Tides of Time” and features communication efforts, alongside auctions to raise funds destined for capacity building activities, as well as financing congresses where experts get together to share best management practices.
Since 2010, Jaeger-LeCoultre has donated $100,000 USD to assist the Fernando de Noronha volcano in Brazil, Puerto Princesa and Tubbataha in Phillipines, Malpelo in Columbia and Sundarbans in India. The waters in this South-Atlantic atoll reserves are important feeding and breeding waters for tuna, shark, turtle and marine mammals. So if you’re the proud owner of a unique limited edition “Tides of Time” Jaeger-LeCoultre, not only do you hold an impeccable piece of watchmaking craftsmanship, but you’re also supporting the oceans of our blue planet.
Increasing visibility of worldwide issues is the first way to address a problem that affects us all. And if anyone knows how to involve the public—that would be Ocean Elders.
Ocean Elders was founded in 2010, after the Mission Blue Voyage to the Galapagos Islands, where more than 100 scientists, humanitarians, business leaders and celebrities (including Sir Richard Branson and Ted Turner) came together to spread the word about the need for ocean protection.
One favorite dimension of Ocean Elders is their open forum that allows everyone to chip in with ideas about current issues, and how together we can make changes to preserve our oceans. In their online platform, you can “share” an idea, “vote” for other people’s ideas, “discuss” possible strategies to address a problem and, of course, take some action!
Sir Richard Branson, as we know, is particularly committed to sustainability (read Last Call for Water?). Besides being part of Ocean Elders, he is also a member of Oceana, the biggest international initiative to restore oceans to their former opulence. With over 600,000 supporters, Oceana is a powerful lobbying group that has achieved a number of victories since its formation in 2001, from halting arctic drilling to establishing fishing quotas and protecting deep sea corals.
In 2014, Oceana received a $3 million grant to fund the efforts to protect key habitats in the Pacific and Arctic oceans. Who was the gracious philanthropist who gave such a generous grant? Let the cameras roll for this feature presentation—the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation! This coveted Hollywood bachelor, Leonardo DiCaprio, may have catapulted to fame with his sea-related blockbuster, Titanic; but his fictional death didn’t deter him from devoting efforts to save our oceans.
Since 1998, DiCaprio’s foundation has made substantial efforts to lobby on ocean protection, through three main channels:
- Oceana 5: a fund dedicated to stop overfishing and establishing marine reserves
- Saving Sharks: to push for trade restrictions of this endangered species
- Protecting Antarctica: the home of almost 10,000 endemic, unique and diverse species
It’s refreshing to know we have so many people worldwide collaborating to preserve our waterways! Unfortunately, we need an army of people involved to really make a big difference. With over 139-million square miles devoted to water on our planet, we have a lot of area to refine.
Would you help save our oceans before they become a distant memory? There are many ways you can take part in this global effort: donate, join and share. Support to the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation can be made by visiting the California Community Foundation and clicking “donate now.” Donations to Ocean Elders, Oceana and Unesco-World Heritage can be made by visiting their sites and clicking “donate” as well.
There are over a million people nationwide supporting our water supply. Will you? Let’s preserve more days to bask in the sun on top of our yachts, eat fresh seafood to our delight and visit the tropical islands of paradise. Oh, the good life!