BY MISTY MILIOTO

Since its founding in 1999, Poseidon Expeditions has taken thousands of adventurous travelers to the most remote corners on earth. Recently, the polar cruise ship operator joined forces with the South Georgia Heritage Trust to help fund conservation efforts on the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia. Through the partnership, Poseidon Expeditions donated £100 (or about $125) to SGHT every time a new passenger booked a cruise (through 2024) featuring South Georgia. These funds are now supporting SGHT’s ongoing conservation work on the island.

The small British Overseas Territory of South Georgia lies about 950 miles east of the Falkland Islands. Famed for its iconic wildlife, South Georgia is home to humpback whales, southern elephant seals, seabirds, and vast colonies of king penguins. The island is also known for the world-famous explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton, who died on South Georgia

in 1922 and is buried in Grytviken Cemetery. SGHT also runs the South Georgia Museum — located on the island — on behalf of the Government of South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands.

“SGHT and Poseidon Expeditions have collaborated multiple times over the years,” says Luke Smith, director of development at SGHT. “This recent campaign is just the latest example of Poseidon Expeditions’ support for SGHT and the island of South Georgia.”

Founded in 2005, SGHT has two main missions: To help efforts to conserve and protect South Georgia’s indigenous fauna and flora; and to assist efforts to preserve the historical heritage of South Georgia, including selected historical sites of importance, and increase international awareness of the human history of the island through the South Georgia Museum.

Among its conservation efforts since 2005, SGHT delivered the world’s largest rodent eradication project. Invasive rats and mice, which whalers accidentally introduced 200 years ago, had been predating the eggs and chicks of millions of native birds. In fact, they had almost pushed one species, the South Georgia pipit, to extinction. Through SGHT’s eradication project, the island was declared rodent- free in May 2018. Since then, the organization has been supporting ongoing efforts by the Government of South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands to make sure that South Georgia’s 10,000-15,000 annual visitors don’t inadvertently undo this progress.

In addition to protecting and preserving the island’s special environment and wildlife through conservation work, the funds are contributing to scientific research, running the South Georgia Museum and delivering major cultural projects on — or related to — the island. The museum, which originally was a museum of whaling, has evolved over the last 20 years to encompass all that represents the heritage of the island, both natural and cultural. The collection includes archaeology, artwork, maritime, geology, military history, social history, and natural history. Meanwhile, a permanent art installation, Commensalis: The Spirit Tables of South Georgia, by Scottish sculptor Michael Visocchi, will act as a whale memorial at Grytviken (an abandoned yet atmospheric former whaling station).

“From 2015, Poseidon started offering departures that stop in South Georgia aboard Sea Spirit,” says Kate Statsenko, head of international sales at Poseidon Expeditions. “Each year, we have between 22 and 24 expeditions in between the British Isles (two departures), the Arctic (eight to 10 departures), and the Antarctic (11 to 12 departures). Usually four or five departures include South Georgia, [thereby bringing about 400 to 500 total guests to the island]. South Georgia is the absolute highlight, as it is the heart of the polar safari and a paradise for the wildlife photographers.” While the amount of money raised through the partnership has not been released, Smith says that the funds are an unrestricted gift.

“[That means] SGHT has the ability to spend the money where it’s most needed,” he says. “It’s likely that the money donated by Poseidon Expeditions will be used to preserve heritage related to Sir Ernest Shackleton and [the Endurance Expedition] story.”

“Poseidon Expeditions has been committed to safe and environmentally responsible exploration of the polar regions since 1999,” says Angelica Vorea, CEO of Poseidon Expeditions. “We are privileged to bring visitors from all over the world to encounter the wonders of South Georgia and the wider Antarctic region. We know how much our guests value the opportunities they have to experience such sights, and we are delighted to have teamed up with SGHT in this way so that our company can contribute to their important mission.”

Poseidon Expeditions also has worked with the nonprofit Oceanites to help track penguin colonies in Antarctica. “We [are] always on the lookout for meaningful projects like this,” says Shulie Klein, managing director at Poseidon Expeditions. www.poseidonexpeditions.com, www.sght.org