CENTER FOR THE CONSERVATION OF AUSTRAL ECOSYSTEMS (ICEA)
This Chilean non-profit links science with practical conservation across southern ecosystems. Its team works in marine, freshwater and terrestrial environments, advancing biodiversity protection through research, innovation and education. Our guests’ generous donations strengthened ICEA’s field capabilities by enabling the purchase of two drysuits for scientific diving in cold- water environments and three HOBO datalogger sensors. These sensors record temperature and electrical conductivity at seafloor depths, enabling the team to calculate salinity levels and detect environmental changes over time. This equipment supports their long-term ecological monitoring programs in sensitive marine areas. ICEA is a small conservation group with limited resources. Quark Expeditions’ guest auction funding went beyond equipment—it improved underwater monitoring in remote ecosystems, boosted team morale, and showed international support for grassroots conservation in ecologically vital but often overlooked areas.
Visit CentroICEA.org
SEABIRD WATCH Guest donations to Seabird Watch have directly funded Arctic fieldwork, covering deployment costs for four researchers annually and supporting critical capacity-building initiatives. Thanks to this support, Seabird Watch now monitors over 100 sites across the Arctic and Antarctic. Funding has enabled the hiring of a dedicated research coordinator—key to expanding the project beyond its core team and fostering international partnerships with countries including Iceland, Greenland, and several British Territories. Through guest support, Seabird Watch has expanded its conservation reach by training and supporting local staff in partner regions, boosting global seabird monitoring capacity. A major breakthrough is the launch of an innovation challenge—backed by Scotland’s CivTech program—to develop standardized methods for tracking burrowing seabirds such as puffins, a previously understudied group. Guest donations are helping develop of AI technology that will count seabirds in seconds, creating an open-access tool for ecologists worldwide.
© Photo: Michelle Sole
Visit SeabirdWatch.org
Sustainability Report 2024: Our Commitment to Conservation & Community | 25
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