Le Boat and Blue Marine Foundation
As part of Le Boat’s commitment to climate and nature action, we’ve joined our sister companies across the Travelopia Group* to partner with Blue Marine Foundation.
Who is Blue Marine Foundation?
Blue Marine Foundation is an organisation dedicated to restoring the ocean to health by protecting and restoring marine life. Its mission is to see at least 30 per cent of the world’s ocean under effective protection by 2030 and the other 70 per cent managed in a responsible way.
The ocean is the world’s largest carbon sink. By combatting overfishing, establishing Marine Protected Areas, restoring depleted marine habitats and engaging local communities in marine conservation, Blue Marine seeks to ensure the ocean can continue its vital function of stabilising the Earth’s climate. To date, Blue Marine has contributed to the protection of over four million square kilometres of the ocean.
Climate action and carbon removal
Blue Marine Foundation objective
“Our objective is to help restore ocean ecosystems that are vital in tackling climate change and removing carbon from the atmosphere.
Together with our fellow travel companies, we aim to support the conservation and restoration of thousands of hectares of vital marine ecosystems through seven global projects.
From the Mediterranean to the Caribbean, Kenya to Indonesia, these protected “blue carbon ecosystems” have the potential to remove and store thousands of tonnes of carbon every year. They will also help protect a rich diversity of coastal and underwater wildlife, and enable the training and employment of local communities in marine conservation.”
What is ‘blue carbon’?
Our oceans are vital in protecting us from the worst impacts of climate change and keeping our planet healthy. They absorb nearly half the world’s carbon dioxide and produce half our oxygen.
Key habitats like mangroves, seagrass meadows and saltmarsh – referred to as ‘blue carbon’ ecosystems – are particularly vital. They have the potential to remove and store vast amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and support the world’s resilience against climate change impacts by providing natural buffers against storm surges, sea-level rise and erosion.
Did you know?
- The ocean absorbs 25-30 percent of annual CO2 emissions that would otherwise remain in the atmosphere and increase global warming.
- Mangroves absorb carbon at up to four times the rate of tropical terrestrial forests
- Over 120 million people globally depend on mangroves for their livelihoods.
- Seagrass meadows can store twice as much carbon per hectare as terrestrial forests.
- Seagrass covers 0.1% of the ocean floor, these habitats account for 18% of the carbon stored in ocean sediments.
What work are we supporting?
Our partnership supports seven projects which span the globe, from the Mediterranean to the Caribbean, Kenya to Indonesia. Through a combination of conservation, ecosystem restoration, research and community engagement, each project seeks to address the climate and biodiversity crisis in different ways, empowering and engaging local communities:
- Greece – A blue carbon approach to saving Greek seas
- Formentera – Safeguarding the future of ancient seagrass meadows
- Kenya – Restoring Mida-Creek’s mangrove forests
- The Caribbean – Restoring blue carbon habitats and protecting unique marine ecosystems
- Indonesia – Community-led restoration of Indonesia’s extraordinary blue forests
- Philippines – Restoring abandoned aquaculture ponds to productive mangrove forests
- The Maldives – Restoring mangroves and seagrass for climate mitigation and resilience
What’s been the impact so far?
Since the start of our partnership in 2023, a lot has already been achieved through the 7 global blue carbon projects we support.
- 30 hectares of blue carbon habitat have been restored,
- 12,500 mangrove trees have been planted,
- 113 community members have been upskilled and engaged in marine restoration,
- and there have been sightings of rare and endangered wildlife in a couple of the project areas.
*Le Boat is a member of the Travelopia group of travel companies which has come together to partner with Blue Marine Foundation.