The Mitsubishi Corporation Fund for Europe & Africa
The relationship between Earthwatch (Europe) and Mitsubishi Corporation (MC) began in 1993, initially through the Mitsubishi Corporation Fund for Europe and Africa (MCFEA), a charitable trust based in London, established by the company to promote environmental and social projects in those regions.
The MCFEA became one of the very first members of the Corporate Environmental Responsibility Group (CERG) in 1993 and initiated an engagement programme for employees of MC's offices in Europe in the same year. Each year since 1998, the MCFEA has supported Earthwatch's Capacity Building Programme by offering two people from the Southern African Wildlife College the chance to participate on a specialist training project. The MCFEA is the also the sole sponsor of Earthwatch's events programme for 2008, including its Annual Debate. The partnership between the MCFEA and Earthwatch is, therefore, continuing to grow and evolve.
In 2005, the partnership between Earthwatch and MC was further strengthened by MC's sponsorship of the Earthwatch project Coral and Coastal Ecology of the Seychelles, as part of MC's broader Global Coral Reef Conservation Project. This project, directly sponsored by Mitsubishi Corporation, will establish new banks of knowledge about coral reef conservation and ecology. Furthermore, Earthwatch Japan is also a project partner in MC's Global Coral Reef Conservation Project in Okinawa, and Mitsubishi International Corporation, headquartered in New York, runs its own employee engagement programme with Earthwatch in the United States.
MC's relationship with Earthwatch stems from a high-level commitment to environmental stewardship.
Partnership Elements
Stakeholder Involvement
The MCFEA has been an associate member of the Corporate Environmental Responsibility Group (CERG) since 1993, utilising the group and the services it offers and contributing to many workshops and seminars. Through that association, the MCFEA passes information and advice to Mitsubishi Corporation about the work of the Group.
Employee Engagement
Mitsubishi Corporation offices in Europe have participated in an employee engagement programme since 1993 - the longest running of all Earthwatch's corporate partnerships. With funding from the MCFEA, MC offices in Europe have sent 5 employees each year to participate in Earthwatch projects, to learn about diverse areas of ecology and conservation and assist scientists in the collection of valuable data. To date, over 70 MC employees have benefitted from this personal development opportunity and have contributed their time and effort to more than 40 separate Earthwatch projects in over 20 countries.
Through MC's Global Coral Reef Conservation Project, 5 employees from MC offices in Europe have attended the Earthwatch project Coral and Coastal Ecology of the Seychelles each year since 2006, to learn about the vital role coral plays in ocean biodiversity.
Community Investment
Each year since 1998, the MCFEA has supported two students from the Southern African Wildlife College, based in Kruger National Park in South Africa, to participate on the Earthwatch Capacity Building Programme. The Capacity Building Programme offers practical experiential learning and conservation training to individuals across Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe.
Since 2006, in addition to the participation of Mitsubishi Corporation employees, MC has also funded a team of teachers and a team of Capacity Building Programme participants to attend the Coral and Coastal Ecology of the Seychelles project each year. The teachers develop environmental education skills to take back to their schools whilst the Capacity Building Programme participants gain new contacts and learn new data collection and analysis skills to aid their career progression as conservation professionals.
Environmental Research
Since 2006, MC has supported the Earthwatch project Coral and Coastal Ecology of the Seychelles, as part of their Global Coral Reef Conservation Project. The project is based on the Seychelles islands of Silhouette and Desroches and examines marine ecology both below the waves and on the shoreline.
In both 2006 and 2007 MC supported a team of their employees, a team of teachers and a Capacity Building Programme team to join the project as volunteer field assistants, as well as underwriting many of the projects core costs. The research project looks to promote conservation and increase the scientific community's knowledge of coral reefs - which have high levels of biodiversity and are particularly sensitive to changes in the earth's climate.
Marketing and Philanthropy
The MCFEA has been a principal sponsor of Earthwatch's annual debate since 2002, helping to make the event accessible to an increasing number of Earthwatch supporters. In 2008, the MCFEA became the exclusive sponsor of the Earthwatch (Europe) Events Programme, providing funding for the annual debate and three lectures held at the Royal Geographical Society, London, and a number of volunteer "open days" held at Earthwatch Europe's headquarters in Oxford.