"It's our duty to leave places better than we found them" says HX chief scientist Dr Meraldi
HX (Hurtigruten Expeditions) is setting new sustainability benchmarks in Antarctica for the 2023-24 season.
Aiming to transform the travel experience into one of learning and participation, HX anticipates guests will contribute 16,000+ data submissions through its Science & Education Programme.
This season, HX has booked 1,158 cruise nights for third-party researchers in Antarctica and by the end of 2023, it will have provided more than 1,500 cabins to researchers across its global itineraries spanning 30+ countries.
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HX will also achieve a milestone in mindful adventure by providing support for more than 20 research projects and as many as eight Citizen Science initiatives.
In the 2023-24 Antarctica Science Programme, projects span drone-based whale research, penguin colony monitoring and baleen whale population studies. A new project, part of HX’s ongoing collaboration with the California Ocean Alliance, will study Humpback whale bubble net feeding behaviour.
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Since 2019, HX’s Science & Education Programme has facilitated the publication of 17 scientific reports and papers.
HX chief scientist Dr Meraldi said: “It’s been almost 130 years since HX pioneered expedition cruising. With this history, we have a profound responsibility to safeguard the places we explore. Beyond minimising our footprint, it's our duty to leave these places better than we found them."
For more information, visit www.hurtigruten.com