The MSC Foundation – MSC Cruises’ non-profit philanthropy division – has teamed up with the International Union for Conversation of Nature (IUCN) a second time at the annual Monaco Ocean Week to co-host, with Velux Foundation and Filantropia Cortes Solari, a multi-stakeholder discussion on realising the potential of philanthropy for ocean conservation.
The MSC Foundation laid out its commitments to coral reef restoration and conservation in The Bahamas under its Super Coral Programme.
Executive Director Daniela Picco emphasised the value of its institutional, academic and MSC Group partners and long-term investment in sound science and research studies to establish its nursery for critically endangered elkhorn coral. These coral fragments’ 100% survival rate after a marine heat wave in The Bahamas in the summer of 2023 is a promising sign of thermal resilience, providing hope for coral reefs in the region.
“As a relatively young foundation that embodies the seafaring history and experience of the MSC Group and the founding family’s outlook on future generations, it’s critical to be active in these global discussions between local and international experts, the scientific community, public authorities, associations and the private sector in the spirit of exchange, experimenting and openness,” said Daniela Picco, Executive Director of the MSC Foundation. “The Foundation joined forces with IUCN a year ago and is supporting the 100 scientists from 30 countries involved in the rigorous scientific analysis of over 850 coral species worldwide needed to update the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. We have a dedicated programme in the Bahamas for impact at the national level.”
