Press releases

Ecouter 

by Readspeaker

Paris, 16^th Oct. 2009

BNP Paribas is a partner of the new scientific mission Terre Océan, undertaken by the three-masted ship La Boudeuse, which sets sail on Sunday 18 October. The mission's goal is to study some of the most crucial aspects of sustainable development in the oceans and rivers of South America and in the Pacific Ocean.

This partnership is a deeply meaningful commitment for BNP Paribas, as much from a human standpoint as from a scientific standpoint. It reflects a long history of loyalty and confidence – begun by the BNP Paribas Foundation in 1994 – between the bank and Patrice Franceschi, the ship's captain.

BNP Paribas's retail bank in France is supporting the "Terre Océan" expedition financially, and also offering a programme for young people. Every month, a competition will be held offering, as a prize, a voyage on board La Boudeuse.

BNP Paribas's e-communication team has set up and managed La Boudeuse's website (http://la-boudeuse.org), which is both interactive and evolving.

The BNP Paribas Foundation is associated with the scientific part of the mission.

Patrice Franceschi – sailor, writer, explorer – and his crew have sailed the world's seas and great rivers for some years, on board the three-masted ship La Boudeuse, with the aim of studying the biosphere and climate change, protecting the environment, and discovering new cultures. To accomplish its latest mission, "Terre Océan", La Boudeuse will have on board some 15 scientists, led by Patrice Franceschi. In South America these scientists will strive above all to assess the environmental impact of rubber plantations, the effects of mass tourism encroaching on native Indian lands, the problems of mercury pollution in rivers caused by gold prospectors, the growth of unchecked urban development, as well as studying biodiversity … In the Pacific Ocean the aim will be to study, save, and suggest solutions for preserving the "disappearing islands", threatened by increasing global temperatures which are likely to cause a rise in sea levels.

This mission – which is an official one, carrying a letter signed by Jean-Louis Borloo, minister for ecology and sustainable development – will reach its conclusion in January 2011. The support of BNP Paribas for this programme reflects the group's commitment to social responsibility, and especially the attention it pays to environmental problems – not in a partisan manner, but with the necessary objectivity. It is essential to understand our changing world, and some of the environmental issues at stake, with which we shall all be confronted in the very short term.