Oosterschelde on its way to Cape Town

Tall Ship Oosterschelde, en route to Cape Town, marks a historic milestone in the global DARWIN200 Conservation Mission.

Having successfully circumnavigated the treacherous waters off Cape Horn, the historic Dutch tallship Oosterschelde is currently en route to South Africa where it will round the Cape of Good Hope and visit Cape Town and Simonstown to continue the DARWIN200 conservation mission.

From 5 to 29 April, DARWIN200 and the historic tallship Oosterschelde will play host to an inspiring group of Darwin Leaders, emerging young conservationists from Madagascar, Uganda, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Tunisia, Nigeria/Israel and Tanzania, who will work with local NGOs in South Africa to deliver crucial conservation efforts.

Darwin Leaders

The young Darwin Leaders will contribute to several projects, including sea turtle rehabilitation with the Two Oceans Aquarium, Cape Vultures monitoring at Cape Nature’s Potberg colony, and Bontebok antelope conservation in De Hoop.
They will also support Marine Dynamics and the Dyer Island Conservation Trust to study great white sharks, rehabilitate African penguins and study whale and dolphin populations.
Other initiatives include investigating human-wildlife conflicts with Cape baboons and documenting South Africa’s unique carnivorous plants.

The joint mission of DARWIN200 underlines the global commitment to protecting biodiversity and provides practical experience for the next generation of conservationists.

Retracing Darwin’s path: A mission for conservation

In August 2023, the Oosterschelde set off from Plymouth, England, as part of the DARWIN200 mission for an extraordinary two-year global conservation mission, tracing Charles Darwin’s 19th-century path on the HMS Beagle.
Oosterschelde has covered more than 31,500 nautical miles on a journey that has taken 545 days so far. The aim of the voyage is to host and train a total of 200 exceptional young conservationists from around the world. They will be involved in hands-on conservation activities in the same locations where Darwin and his colleagues explored nature almost two centuries ago.

Source: EIN News.
Image: Eastern Scheldt.

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