Minimizing Cruise industry’s Environmental Impact!

Hi Everyone,

I received this press release from the International Council of Cruise
Lines (ICCL) and Conservation International (CI) and thought it would
be of interest. If you have missed any of my news' postings, they are
available on my web site.

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Ray
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International Council of Cruise Lines and Conservation International
Announce Joint Initiative
Ocean Conservation and Tourism Alliance

WASHINGTON, D.C. (December 10, 2003) — The International Council of
Cruise Lines (ICCL) and Conservation International (CI) today
announced a joint initiative to protect biodiversity in top cruise
destinations and promote industry practices that minimize the cruise
industry’s environmental impact.

The Ocean Conservation and Tourism Alliance sets up four initial
priority areas including:

- Best Practices for Wastewater Management: improved shipboard
technology, specifically accelerating and adopting Advanced Wastewater
Purification (AWP) systems.
- Establishing Destination Partnerships: working with local
governments and communities to maintain high-quality travel
experiences by protecting the natural and cultural assets of cruise
destinations.
- Promoting Environmental Education: raising guest and crew awareness
of and support for critical conservation issues.
- Promoting Vendor Environmental Education: lessening the
environmental impacts of suppliers.

The initiative’s first step will be to establish a science panel of
experts in conservation, environmental technologies, and cruise
industry environmental practices. The science panel will independently
review core environmental issues facing the cruise industry and
provide advice as to the best course of action to deal with those
critical challenges. The ICCL and CI have committed to having the
science panel established and initial assessments ready for
presentation at the Seatrade Cruise Shipping Convention in March 2004.

“We could not have a better partner. Conservation International has a
long history of working with business to pioneer conservation
solutions that are scientifically, economically and culturally sound,”
said Michael Crye, president of ICCL.

“Our vision is to work with leaders in the tourism industry and
demonstrate how the industry and conservation community can work
together to produce mutually beneficial results. The goal is to not
only protect the places tourists visit but also maximize positive
contributions to conservation in high biodiversity areas where the
cruise industry operates,” said Glenn Prickett, senior vice president
of Conservation International and executive director of the Center for
Environmental Leadership in Business. “We are encouraged the industry
shares our vision.”

The ICCL, which represents fifteen of the world’s leading cruise
lines, has committed $850,000 to the initiative and its supporting
projects. Conservation International has matched this contribution
with an investment of $250,000.

Of the initial areas of work, AWP research and development has been a
strong focus for the industry for several years. Combined efforts have
resulted in rapid technological advancements and the installation of
several prototypes on more than 20 ships—at a cost of $50 million.
These systems, while capable of meeting high standards for treatment,
are still in the early stages of application for general use. The
industry is committed to continuing to invest in improved AWP systems,
and installing those systems on its ships. CI will work with the
industry and system manufacturers to expedite the process.

The Alliance’s focus on tourism and biodiversity issues is important
because approximately 70 percent of cruise destinations are in the
biodiversity hotspots, including the Caribbean, the Mediterranean,
Mexico, the Panama Canal Zone, and the South Pacific. A preponderance
of species diversity is found exclusively within the earth’s 25
biodiversity hotspots, which combined cover a very small percentage of
the Earth’s land surface. Each biodiversity hotspot has already lost
the majority of its original species habitat, and the remainder faces
imminent threat of further destruction.

Today’s partnership formalizes a relationship that began two years
ago. In 2001, CI began working with member lines when it was
researching the industry’s overall performance and its past and future
challenges. CI released its interim report, A Shifting Tide:
Environmental Challenges and Cruise Industry Responses, in 2003.

Conservation International works on projects in close to 40 countries
on four continents to protect global biodiversity and demonstrate that
human societies can live harmoniously with nature. CI develops
scientific, policy and economic solutions to protect threatened
natural ecosystems that are rich in biodiversity.

Read about the cruise industry's environmental practices at:
http://www.iccl.org/pressroom/environmental.cfm