Carnival Foundation gives $2.5m to The Nature Conservancy for marine programs

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 Carnival's 10 cruise brands operate.

The Nature Conservancy’s work in these regions will help quantify the value of marine ecosystems and help develop mapping tools to guide investment decisions for conservation in the regions.

Additionally, Carnival Foundation support will enable the Conservancy to significantly scale coral restoration initiatives within the Caribbean, and continue to advance science that shows how coral reefs and other natural systems can help reduce risks to coastal communities from storms and sea levels rising.

'Being environmentally responsible is critically important for us,' said Arnold Donald, president and ceo of Carnival Corp. Not only is it essential to the cruise business, 'more importantly, it is the right thing to do,' he added.

The announcement of the donation was timed to World Environment Day today and in advance of World Oceans Day on June 8.

The Carnival Foundation support will help advance important work to better understand, protection and restore marine systems that are essential to human well-being and economic growth,' said Lynne Hale, managing director of the marine team at The Nature Conservancy.