Parley for the Oceans and Belmond announce a new partnership with the ambition to champion and inspire a network of Ocean Guardians, forge an enduring legacy for the oceans through education, active conservation, and define a new standard of hospitality. Attuned to the delicate beauty and fragility of the planet and nurturing a sense of connection to place, time, and community, Belmond believes that “as connectors and curators, we must first be caretakers”.
The collaboration with Parley for the Oceans will provide Belmond’s properties with a framework for expanding their commitment to be loyal custodians of the ecosystems and communities they collaborate with. With an existing legacy of sustainable practices, Maroma, A Belmond Hotel, Riviera Maya, has been selected as Belmond’s symbol of change to pilot this new partnership.
Protecting Our Oceans
Essential to all life on Earth, oceans cover 70% of our planet and hold 99% of the biosphere, regulating climate, producing half of the world’s oxygen, and providing food and livelihoods for millions of people. As human activity has profoundly impacted the Earth, our oceans are under severe threat, due to plastic pollution, greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels driving global warming, and vast biodiversity loss.
Understanding the gravity of the threats to our oceans and striving to work towards a more sustainable future, Belmond and Parley for the Oceans are working together to face these challenges and incorporate initiatives that mitigate their impacts.
Surrounded by emerald jungle and the Caribbean Sea, Mexico’s Riviera Maya is home to the world’s second-largest coral reef and four endangered species of sea turtles: White, Loggerhead, Hawkbill and Leatherback.
Over the past decade, Maroma has implemented several sustainability initiatives, from its turtle conservation programme and working with Amigos de Sian Ka’an, to supporting local fisherman and its long-running partnership with Mayahuum to house and protect hives of the endangered Melipona bee, which are considered sacred by Maya and ancient cultures of the Yucatán Peninsula and are prolific rainforest pollinators critical to the local ecosystem.
The collaboration with Parley, which consists of locally tailored initiatives following the Parley AIR Strategy (Avoid, Intercept, Redesign) is rooted in community-led conservation efforts and will build upon Maroma’s existing commitment to honouring Mayan culture and its people as natural custodians protecting local heritage.
