The Nature Conservancy Receives Gift to Advance Marine Conservation Globally

MIAMI, June 5, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Carnival Foundation is providing a $2.5 million gift over five years to support The Nature Conservancy's global marine protection priorities.  

Carnival Foundation's support will be directed toward identifying locations where industry and community are most dependent on marine and coastal resources - including key conservation priority sites where the company operates.  The Nature Conservancy's work in these regions will help quantify the value of marine ecosystems and help The Conservancy develop mapping tools to guide investment decisions for conservation in the region.  Additionally, support from Carnival Foundation will enable the Conservancy to significantly scale coral restoration initiatives within the Caribbean, and continue to advance important science that shows how coral reefs and other natural systems can help reduce risks to coastal communities from storms and sea levels rising.

"Protecting and restoring the ocean is central to achieving The Nature Conservancy's mission, and it is an organizational priority," according to Lynne Hale, managing director of the marine team at The Nature Conservancy.

Hale added: "The multiple benefits that healthy marine systems provide are essential to human well-being and economic growth. This support from Carnival Foundation will help advance important work to better understand, protect and restore these crucial systems."

"Caring for our oceans is not only essential to the very existence of our business, but more importantly, it is the environmentally responsible thing to do," said Arnold Donald, CEO of Carnival Corporation. "With support from the Carnival Foundation, we are proud to begin a new journey with The Nature Conservancy to further advance the cause of preserving and managing the health of our oceans and seas around the world."

The Nature Conservancy works across all sectors of industry and society to help advance its mission to protect the natural world, and develops relationships that best align with the mission to produce clear conservation benefits with lasting, measurable outcomes.

About The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. The Conservancy and its more than one million members have protected nearly 120 million acres worldwide. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the web at www.nature.org.

About Carnival Foundation
Carnival Foundation is dedicated to creating positive change through empowering youth, enhancing education and strengthening families. In the past five years alone, Carnival Corporation — which includes 10 brands — and its 120,000-plus employees have made more than $30 million in financial contributions and in-kind donations to a variety of local and national charities. Following the example set by Carnival's founder, the late Ted Arison, and continued by his son Micky, chairman of Carnival Corporation, Carnival Foundation endeavors to make South Florida and other communities better places to live and work. For more information visit www.carnivalfoundation.com .

About Carnival Corporation
Carnival Corporation & plc is the largest cruise company in the world, with a portfolio of cruise brands in North America, Europe, Australia and Asia, comprised of Carnival Cruise Lines, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Seabourn, AIDA Cruises, Costa Cruises, Cunard, Ibero Cruises, P&O Cruises (Australia) and P&O Cruises (UK).

Together, these brands operate 101 ships totaling 212,000 lower berths with seven new ships scheduled to be delivered between fall 2014 and summer 2016. Carnival Corporation & plc also operates Holland America Princess Alaska Tours, the leading tour company in Alaska and the Canadian Yukon. Traded on both the New York and London Stock Exchanges, Carnival Corporation & plc is the only group in the world to be included in both the S&P 500 and the FTSE 100 indices.

SOURCE The Nature Conservancy