News 
On the 22th September, in New York, at the Clinton Global Initiative, the National Geographic Society announced a major expansion of its Pristine Seas campaign to help protect our planet’s most species-rich marine areas, with a goal of convincing governments to safeguard twenty new locations, comprising more than two million square kilometers of ocean world-wide. Setting aside areas that are off-limits to commercial fishing and mining in order to preserve their biological importance is an approach very similar to national parks created on land.
Blancpain was the first key partner to believe in the Pristine Seas project and to join forces with the National Geographic Society. Using a combination of exploration, scientific research, economic analysis and communications, the program has already helped protect areas in the United States, Chile, Gabon, Kiribati and Costa Rica, covering more than 400,000 square kilometers. Thus, the announced commitment expands a conservation model that has already proven successful and Blancpain is very gratified to see major additional partners following in its footsteps in support. These other partners joining with Blancpain include the Waitt Foundation, Prince Albert II of Monaco, the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, Jynwel Foundation, the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust, Davidoff Cool Water, Lindblad Expeditions, Dynamic Planet, former President José María Figueres of Costa Rica and other individual donors.
Pristine Seas is currently working on three major new marine reserves. The first, in the United States, could result in an historic expansion of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument, which would make the monument the largest protected area on the planet. The two other areas are located in the South Pacific region near the Pitcairn Islands (an overseas territory of the United Kingdom) and near Palau.
October 23, 2014