ORCA

Equip an Ocean Conservationist

Help give our people the tools they need to protect whales, dolphins and porpoises.

We're helping to create safe spaces for whales and dolphins around the world.

Ocean Conservationists work on cruise ships and ferries to help identify critical habitats so ORCA can drive policymakers to put protections in place, promoting the health of our seas. By identifying areas where whales and dolphins are vulnerable, we can protect these places by changing the way we use them.

We're asking you to help us provide Ocean Conservationists with equipment that will keep them safe in the field and will help them monitor and collect vital data about whales and dolphins. With properly equipped teams at sea, we can monitor data-deficient areas and identify new hotspots for whales and dolphins in more remote and hard-to-reach parts of the ocean. This means we can monitor existing protected areas and help policymakers identify new areas that need to be protected to safeguard whales and dolphins.

Each year we spend over £6500 making sure our Ocean Conservationists have the equipment they need, but we would like to buy new, better quality equipment and tools so they can inspire guests at sea whilst collecting vital data. You can help us provide them with warm clothing so they can spend their time out on deck doing what they love, looking out for whales and dolphins and educating the public. We will also be able to buy them the equipment they need, such as binoculars and cameras, so they can efficiently collect data about the animals they see and contribute to our conservation work.

Donate and help us equip an Ocean Conservationist

Our Work

Whales and dolphins face a wider array of threats than at any other point in history, but despite this, we still know very little about them. Many species aren’t protected by international conventions, so populations are being severely impacted by increasing human activity. It is critical that we learn more about these animals and gather more information to find ways to protect them against the deadly threats they face to help safeguard whales and dolphins for future generations.

ORCA Ocean Conservationists are placed on targeted itineraries in whale and dolphin hotspots and data-deficient areas. They collect vital scientific data, which helps us monitor and protect important areas. The Ocean Conservationist programme is essential to reaching both known and unknown hotspots so we can identify how they are changing and help policymakers to protect them.

The impact of our work is measured by the identification of new hotspots, monitoring existing protections and collecting more data about whale and dolphin populations in the areas we survey. Ultimately our goal is to create new protected areas that can keep whales and dolphins safe and more areas of the ocean protected from human activity.

Our Aims

  • To provide equipment for our Ocean Conservationists that will keep them safe when in the field and will help them to monitor and collect vital data about whales and dolphins.
  • With properly equipped Ocean Conservationists, we can monitor data-deficient areas and identify new hotspots for whales and dolphins in more remote and hard-to-reach parts of the ocean.
  • Building on this incredible work, we can monitor existing protected areas and help policymakers identify new areas that need to be protected to safeguard whales and dolphins.

How your donation can help

£50 allows an Ocean Conservationist to produce educational materials about the threats whales and dolphins face

£80 will allow us to purchase a set of cold-weather uniform to keep an Ocean Conservationist safe whilst out at sea

£350 will allow us to purchase a set of equipment to record data whilst studying important whale and dolphin hotspots

£600 will allow us to purchase a complete set of equipment and uniform for an Ocean Conservationist working at sea

"My role as an ORCA Ocean Conservationist provides me with opportunities to live my passion and share unforgettable wildlife encounters with people on a daily basis, whilst also allowing me to facilitate change in many different ways. I contribute towards bridging the knowledge gaps between data deficient marine species and their habitats, whilst also engaging with people from all walks of life. By raising awareness about the importance of keeping our oceans healthy, we can help safeguard whales, dolphins and porpoises and their habitats for future generations”.

Nina ORCA Ocean Conservationist

ORCA will use your donation to support our work protecting whales and dolphins. The examples of equipment above are illustrative, and the donation will be used in a way that the charity feels best enables this at the time of the gift, but this may not be for a specific item mentioned in this appeal.

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