Carnival Corp. to host Nature Conservancy's Mapping Ocean Wealth forum

Carnival Corp., in partnership with the Carnival Foundation, awarded a $2.5m gift over five years in 2014 to support The Nature Conservancy's work on Mapping Ocean Wealth and global marine protection priorities.

The Mapping Ocean Wealth initiative aims to chart how and where ocean benefits are produced and to map those areas.  Coral reefs and mangroves, for example, provide numerous benefits, including fish production, flood mitigation, erosion control and recreation. The project is expected to transform ocean management and improve investments in conservation, restoration and economic development by identifying and mapping the areas where these benefits are produced.

The meeting also will highlight updated research in the areas supporting tourism, the coastal ocean's CO2 sequestration capacity and coastal protection specific to coral reefs and mangroves, which are present in ports around the world. Carnival said their health is vital to the company's 10 brands operating in more than 700 ports.

Along with Carnival Corp., representatives from The World Bank, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, World Resources Institute, University of British Columbia, Duke University, GRID-Arendal and others will join The Nature Conservancy at the meeting.