WWF secures the rights to the Blue Mile

World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has agreed to license the Blue Mile from Sport Environment. The watersports event will  become the WWF Blue Mile and will continue to be managed by Sport Environment. The event took place in London for the first time with over 300 people taking part, including David Nussbaum, CEO of WWF-UK and BBC presenter, Paul Rose.

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David Nussbaum, CEO of WWF-UK said:

“Today has been a huge success and we’d like to thank everyone who took part in the event, or came along to show their support. The UK is home to an amazing array of marine and freshwater species, but just two percent of British waters are currently under official protection. WWF believes we can all do more to help protect our fragile water habitats, and the Blue Mile is an excellent place to start.”

Organic entrepreneur Jo Wood, who took part in BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing, said:

“Our beautiful blue planet is being threatened.  Marine and freshwater habitats are being challenged every day by the serious issues of pollution and climate change.  WWF’s Blue Mile is the perfect opportunity for us to take on a challenge ourselves and enjoy our seas, rivers, lakes and waterways, whilst doing something pretty unique to help preserve them.”

Triple round the world sailor Conrad Humphreys, the creator of the Blue Mile, said:

“Sport is intimately connected to nature and for some athletes it is the relationship with the environment that inspires and motivates us. As Jacques Cousteau once said, “People protect what they love” and it is a love for the environment that we need to engender throughout our communities.The challenge is to move people beyond awareness and find the mechanisms to involve more people with our blue environment. WWF’s Blue Mile is one way to connect people and their emotions with water.”

Diver Paul Rose, who presented Oceans and Britain’s Secret Seas for the BBC, said:

“The oceans are the least understood ecosystem on the planet and one of our most precious. They deserve our respect and protection.  I’ve been diving in our waters since 1969 and I have seen first hand that some areas have significantly less marine life than they used to. It’s not all doom and gloom though – WWF’s Blue Mile is a fantastic way of getting people to engage with our marine and freshwater habitats and a fun way to help protect these vital environments.”