A partnership to protect marine life in the Mediterranean Sea
Fundación Oceanogràfic and the Pairi Daiza Foundation join forces to preserve Marine Mammals along the coast of Valencia.
The Fundación Oceanogràfic (Spain) and the Pairi Daiza Foundation (Belgium) have formalised a collaboration to enhance the rescue and care of stranded marine mammals along the Valencia coast.
This partnership aligns perfectly with the shared mission of both organisations: protecting biodiversity, promoting scientific research, and raising public awareness about environmental issues.
Both Foundations stress the importance of working together to preserve the marine ecosystems in the Mediterranean Sea and to effectively respond to the increasing threats faced by marine mammals in their natural environment.
In the Valencian region, the marine life rehabilitation program, in which Fundación Oceanogràfic plays a central role through its Stranding Network, is a critical element of conservation efforts along the entire coastline.
Two foundations, one mission
Based around an alert network, the Fundación Oceanogràfic veterinary team helps sea turtles, dolphins, whales, and occasionally even sharks all year round. Thanks to the collaboration with the Pairi Daiza Foundation, these efforts are now even more impactful, enabling field workers to rescue more lives.
Pairi Daiza will be supporting these rescue operations with an annual contribution of €40,000 over a two-year period.
To date, the Pairi Daiza Foundation has contributed to nearly fifty conservation programmes around the world. To be able to support the remarkable work of the Fundación Oceanogràfic is both an honour and a commitment that fits naturally with our missions. Every animal rescued, every piece of data collected, every action taken on these Mediterranean shores contributes to a better understanding and improves protection of marine biodiversity. Together, we can offer these vulnerable species an extra chance of survival and hope for the future ", says Antoine Lebrun, Director of the Pairi Daiza Foundation.
For the Fundación Oceanogràfic, this collaboration represents "a significant step forward in our marine conservation strategy ", explains Director, Leocadia García-Bartual.
"The Pairi Daiza Foundation is strengthening the rescue program for stranded animals, improving our capacity for immediate interventions and increasing the research possibilities arising from each case ", explains Leocadia García-Bartual.
A continued partnership
This is not the first time the two organizations have joined forces. In early 2021, they collaborated with Hagenbeck Zoo (Germany) on a European project focused on the conservation of animals outside their natural habitats. The transfer of three walruses from Oceanogràfic to Pairi Daiza, with a stopover in Germany, where Europe’s only breeding male walrus resided at the time, resulted in the birth of Floki, the first offspring of these walruses. This rare success marked a significant milestone for the species’ conservation in Europe. This collaboration strengthened the scientific and technical ties between the foundations and opened the door to new projects.
Today, this alliance is continuing and growing, guided by the same conviction: protecting marine life means joining forces, sharing knowledge and acting together, in the service of all living things.
Johan Vreys
José Rafael Serra