Nine projects receive funding from the Hurtigruten Foundation

The Board of Hurtigruten Foundation combined both new projects and continued support to projects that have received grants previously when they selected the fall 2022 grant recipients among the many worthy applicants.  

The recipients span the geographical areas in which Hurtigruten Group operates, and between them they address all three focus areas of the Foundation: preserving endangered wildlife, battling plastic waste and marine litter, and supporting local communities. 

Combining new projects and longstanding partners allows the Foundation to address new causes within our focus areas and build impact over time with organisations running effective projects with proven results. 

The recipients are: 

Aktiv i Friluft for their beach cleanup project in Isfjorden, Svalbard

Isfjorden is the longest fjord of Svalbard and one of the largest in Norway. Because of currents from the Barentz Sea, there are many accumulating spots for plastic and marine litter in this fjord. Most of the organisations on Svalbard (that is to say, local) carry out their litter-projects within this fjord. With ‘Project Isfjorden’, Aktiv i Friluft will rent a boat enabling them to reach parts of the fjord that are otherwise not accessible for local organisations and volunteers to clean.

Photo: Aktiv i Friluft 

Bruktikken for their efforts to help reduce waste and contribute to a more sustainable lifestyle on Svalbard

Bruktikken is the second-hand store of Longyearbyen on Svalbard, run by students and local volunteers driven by a passion to create a more sustainable community. Everything is free and relies on donations. Due to the high turnover in the community they get many donations from people leaving Svalbard. Bruktikken contributes towards reducing both waste and social inequality in this small Arctic community.

The Charles Darwin Foundation for their studies of the population of Waved Albatross in Galápagos

The Charles Darwin Foundation (CDF) and the Galápagos National Park Directorate (GNPD) study the population of Waved Albatross to understand their survival and threats (human interactions, climate change, pathogens, contaminants). Since 2019 CFD-GNPD were not able to conduct monitoring due to lack of resources, nor in 2020 because of the restrictions from the COVID-19 pandemic. This project will continue gathering robust data to conserve the population in the long term.

Fundación de Conservación Jocotoco for their conservation of the critically endangered Galapagos Petrel

The critically endangered Galapagos Petrel is an endemic species of the archipelago threatened by habitat loss and invasive species. Jocotoco has established invasive eradication protocols for cats, rats, and blackberry bushes to increase the reproductive success of the species. For this project, they aim to maintain the monitoring activities and fence the identified nesting places to improve the population’s nesting sites.

Photo: Jacob Salinas/Fundación Jocotoco

The Lofoten Council for their ecosystem accounting pilot project in the Lofoten region of Norway

There is a profound need and urgency for ecosystem accounting in Norway. Lofoten is a suitable region for establishing the first pilot in Norway. The ecosystem account and associated tools for communication and decision making will be important in ensuring the sustainable management of areas, nature, resources, biodiversity and other ecosystem values and services.

Photo: Agurtxane Concellon/Hurtigruten

Prince William Sound Science Center for their research into plastic ingestion by migrant shorebirds during spring on Alaska’s Copper River Delta

Cordova Alaska’s Copper River Delta hosts several million shorebirds each spring that stop to rest and forage while en route to their breeding grounds. Estuary coastlines tend to have elevated levels of plastics pollution, while simultaneously many shorebird populations are declining. This project will determine the impacts of plastics pollution exposure and ingestion by shorebirds.

Photo: Shutterstock/Hurtigruten

Tarevokterne for their efforts to restore the sea kelp forest in northern Norway

Tarevoktere (“The Kelp Guardians”) arrange monthly restoration dives in Tromsø with local diving clubs to remove sea urchins and help kelp the forest to grow back. They have been using this method for 1.5 years in collaboration with the Norwegian research institute (NIVA) and they see increased biodiversity around the restoration area. The grant from the Foundation will support their continued efforts to preserve local marine wildlife by volunteer work, which includes the maintenance of diving equipment, and outreach to the local community through school lectures and events.

Photo: Johan Bjerg / Tarevokterne

Two female scientists from Universidad de los Andes for their project to connect science and guests in Antarctica

Prof Susana J. Caballero-Gaitan and Dr Gabriela Tezanos-Pinto from Universidad de los Andes will investigate the genetic diversity, population structure and distribution of two of the most emblematic species of Antarctica, the humpback whale and the leopard seal. They plan to achieve this with the help of Hurtigruten Expeditions’ guests, who will be invited to join them on their research endeavour.

Photo: Prof Susana J. Caballero-Gaitan and Dr Gabriela Tezanos-Pinto

Oceanites for their research into penguin population changes in the vastly warmed Antarctic Peninsula

For more than two decades, the not-for profit organisation Oceanites has collected data on penguin and seabird species on the Antarctic Peninsula to learn more about climate change and how to protect the Antarctic environment. With this data, and through the lens of the penguins, Oceanites wants to increase awareness of climate change, its potential impacts on humans and how we might adapt to it.

Photo: Oceanites