Jean-Michel Cousteau's Ambassadors of the Environment program with Dr Murphy

Welcome to Sangu Stories!

We are celebrating an extraordinary partnership in this episode. We have signed with Jean-Michel Cousteau’s Ocean Futures Society to bring the signature Ambassadors of the Environment program to the Indian Ocean. In this episode, Dr Richard Murphy joins us today. He is an American marine ecologist who has worked with the Cousteau family since 1968 and has participated in many expeditions extending his expertise in science, education and documentary.

For more information on Jean-Michel Cousteau's Ocean Futures Society, please visit their web site: http://www.oceanfutures.org/media

For any further information or assistance, please contact Aminath.Haadhee@ritzcarlton.com , Marketing Communications Manager.

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For more information about The Ritz-Carlton Maldives, Fari Islands, visit our website

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Transcript

Mark Hehir: 0:00

Welcome to Sangu Stories. We are honored to partner with one of the most prominent names for ocean discovery and preservation globally. Jean-Michel Cousteau, oceanographic explorer, environmentalist, educator, and film producer. Jean-Michel Cousteau's Ambassador of the Environment program is a one-of-a-kind programme created to provide our guests with inspiring experiences. Today, we have Dr. Murphy, marine ecologist and programme creator who has worked with Jean-Michel Cousteau and his father Jacques Cousteau since 1968. To share with you more about the programme, welcome! nice to have you here today.

Dr Richard Murphy: 0:44

Well, thank you. It's nice to be with you.

Mark Hehir: 0:47

You have, uh, been on many expeditions around the world. Our listeners are looking forward to hearing more about those adventures and most importantly, the journey in finding the Jean-Michel Cousteau's Ocean Futures Society. Please tell us a bit more about that.

Dr Richard Murphy: 1:03

Well, thank you. As, as you probably know that, uh, the Cousteau family has been dedicated to, you know, exploring the wonders of the world, uh, particularly the water system and then sharing what they've discovered and seen, uh, with the public. And the goal specifically has been to get people to not only appreciate nature, but to make sure that we can protect it and, uh, live a little more sustainably on the planet because of course, what we're doing right now is more, more harmful than it is a good for our, for our long-term future. But, um, we, it was, it was so interesting for me, um, to, to be able to travel with the team and, and explore the Amazon River basin and, uh, the reefs around Papa New Guinea and Palau and the South Pacific. And, uh, just, just all of these different, amazing ecosystems around the world. And of course, um, some of the things that we learned of course, is that everything is connected. You know, the, the atmosphere is in motion. The ocean is in motion, they're sharing gases and, and in some cases pollutants and there's, it really can't throw anything away on planet earth. There is, uh, you know, everything goes somewhere. So those interconnections of all of the ecosystems and of course, connections to humans and connections to our future here are, were very, very important. And so those, those kinds of principles and processes were what we have tried to integrate into our Ambassadors of the Environment program. And our goal of course, is to share the wonders of, of, of nature, particularly the coral reefs of, of the Maldives, um, with the public and wow them, and dazzle them. And, and w as, as we, uh, who dive all know, just be completely astounded at the, at the diversity and the beauty of the natural system, but also to think about those connections and then think about where, where we are in that process and how we should behaving too, but to both protect those reefs themselves. And of course, in the long run to protect our own, our own wellbeing. Yes.

Mark Hehir: 3:12

Yeah. Correct. So important. Uh, and what a platform it is, uh, out here in the Maldives for us to bring you in, we're very proud to bring the programme to the Maldives. How was the, uh, Ambassadors of the Environment first initiated in The Ritz-Carlton Hotels and Resorts in other parts of the world?

Dr Richard Murphy: 3:30

Well, that was an interesting story because it was the general manager of The Ritz-Carlton, the one that was under construction in Grand Cayman on Grand Cayman Island. And she came to us and said that they wanted a programme for kids. And so I said, Oh, well, great. You know, that's, that's, uh, another beautiful place with clear waters and nice reefs. And so we developed my, my Jean-Michel and the team, and I, um, developed some activities. And, um, so we implemented that programme in the early 2000s. And eventually the kids would be coming back to the hotel room and sharing with their parents, all the activities they were doing and what they'd seen and how much fun they were having. And then the parents started coming to us and said, Hey, kids having more fun on holiday than we are. Can we join? Because initially it was just a program for kids. We thought, well, parents are a little slow, but yeah, it's a good to have a family and family outing and all that. So we adapted the programme for adults as well as kids. And then of course, sometimes there would be no kids and families there at all, because there was a, you know, a conference in the winter time. And so all these people that were in, you know, trapped in a conference room all day, they needed to get out and wanted some enrichment. And so our programme, because we had these trained naturalists on site, our program has now become one for everybody. You know, people of all ages, of course, we know that kids are our sponges and they're very important as an audience because they are the future. So, so we still put high priority on kids, but, uh, we want to share the wonders with everybody. Yeah.

Mark Hehir: 5:12

Yes. I mean, that's, uh, it's such a great story and I think organically how things evolve like that and, and how we are talking here today to bring the programme to the Maldives. It's very exciting. And we're so proud to be able to do that and bring it to our customers who really do spend 10 days here to embrace this environment. And if we can showcase it in a way through your lens and, uh, and, and bring it alive in a really fresh way, as well as having great credentials in history, uh, you know, why not? So we're very excited to partner with you and, and bring the programme to the Maldives as I said. And so I'd like to know, uh, what would you think would be different for the Maldives compared to maybe other activities you've done? Have you got any discoveries or ideas that you'd like to share with us that's in the process?

Dr Richard Murphy: 5:59

Well, I've, I have yet to be there, so I'm looking forward to that. But I think the, the other programmes that we have do not have scuba diving, um, really as part of the programme, it's kind of a peripheral thing, whereas in the Maldives and you, and your, uh, Dive Butlers, having, or having opportunity to link up with, with the real divers who know the system very, very well. And then to make sure that that all the guests have access to both snorkeling. And, you know, we'll just say kayaking, but, but real scuba diving I think, is going to be a real plus because we, we look at the coral reef somewhat as a, as a city under the sea. And, um, you know, it's a little more sustainable than our cities, but, but we look at the organisms, their jobs, the roles they fulfill and how they all collectively create the, you know, the beautiful, integrated, um, uh, complex web of life that we see on, um, on coral reefs. And, and I think in addition to the, the, the beauty of the reefs I understand them, then having the manta rays come in and having some really, really exciting charismatic organisms coming by from time to time is going to be a plus. I mean, the footage you showed the other day of the dolphins coming right way in the islands, Oh my gosh. People in our programmes, we have to spend a day at sea looking for a dolphin

Mark Hehir: 7:31

They've made home, uh, just off our water villas. And I'm standing too. I already think that we may have to name some of these water villas, the dolphin villas, because literally from what we understand yesterday, what we saw them, they're just camped out there and they don't, they're just swimming around, enjoying the attention. Um, and it's right at the edge of your villa, uh, which is, you know, essentially the whole beauty of us working together is that we don't have to do all that extra few hours. It's, it's, it's get up in the morning and down to breakfast and then head off onto the boat. And the adventure starts within minutes. And then I guess they morning we're going along in the boat and, uh, from one island to the other, inside our lagoon, you know, 300 meters from where we are living. Um, and there's a pod of dolphins, you know, Uh, the boat drivers who go up and down, he just said to me, no, that they're, they've worked out. This is where they're going to hang out. He sees them everyday, the same place, same time just being there.

Dr Richard Murphy: 8:32

Wow. Yeah. So that's exciting.

Mark Hehir: 8:35

So that's really, you know, that's the energy and excitement we have to work together now. And, um, I, I guess, uh, bring attention to some important subjects, which I think is a platform for us to really speak about. And marine conservation is becoming a trend and the topic around the globe. And I wanted to know if you could share with us, uh, you know, your view and vision on preserving the oceans.

Dr Richard Murphy: 8:56

It's very sad that there are both local and global problems affecting particularly coral reefs. You know, like the canaries in the mind, they are sensitive and they're giving us a very clear message and that is the oceans aren't healthy and the planet isn't healthy. So obviously we need to try to mitigate some of the pressures that are on the, on those reefs. Now on a local level, you know, eliminating plastic, that's going to get into the ocean is a big deal because those plastic particles break down into smaller particles. They don't necessarily break down and go away. They just become smaller and smaller, get concentrated in the food chain, come back to us in the food we eat, upset, upset the physiology of the organisms and upset the ecology of the entire system. So that's a, that's a big one. And that's something that everybody can participate in and reducing our use of plastics. And as they, the other extreme at the global level, of course, is climate change. And the use of petroleum that's causing the greenhouse effect and, and, and the global warming. And of course that causes the corals that have the algae partners in their bodies to have that relationship break down the algae, leave the coral bleached, they turn white, and you've seen some of that in the Maldives as well. And that's something that we all need to understand and do everything we can to reuse renewable energy and other alternative systems that don't pollute the atmosphere with carbon dioxide. So those are the, those are the big issues. The questions are well, what can we do about our, in our Ambassadors of the Environment program and what we're instituting and working on right now is, is monitoring and assessing the health of the race. And we're going to have our guests going out there. We're going to have young people. Some of them are interested in science. And so we will be using, um, monitoring techniques to watch not only the marine life, but the health of the entire system and those techniques range from just observation and, and doing routine counts of different species to the, the highest tech materials that we have. And that is Melissa, as you know, is coming down with, with her drones and really sophisticated, um, um, equipment that could enable us to, to quantitatively monitor, monitor, um, you know, corals and, and, and different species above water and below water. So we're going to have some really neat toys, and I think that's going to not only give us good information and the country at the national level, um, understand better the reefs, but it's going to be a great inspiration, I think for young people to be able to participate in real research, not just something for, but these are collecting real data for the scientific and the management communities using some of the highest tech, uh, technology available. So I'm really excited personally, because I haven't used those kinds of drones that Melissa is bringing. So it's gonna, I think be exciting for all of us to be able to, uh, um, use latest technology, to assess the health of the race and focus on sustainable management of our future.

Mark Hehir: 12:21

Yeah, no, I think this inspiration idea, uh, with Melissa and coming together with yourself and it's really going to bring forward, um, some great, uh, experiences for our customers, as you mentioned, and I guess, well, really looking forward to what's next, uh, and developing these programmes for our customers to enjoy. And I know that we're in that process right now, and I guess we can't speak too much about exactly what that looks like, but it's definitely something that I know that you and our team, and I hope that we can share more, uh, very soon on the next conversation, uh, in regards to programmes that our little customers, the children, the future can come and stay on holidays and, and be inspired and be the future marine biologists really, uh, make a difference in the world. Right.

Dr Richard Murphy: 13:06

Good. Yeah. We look forward to that. We're developing activities now, and we'll be sending them to you real soon. So next time we meet, we can talk about some of the specific things we're going to offer to guests.

Mark Hehir: 13:17

Yeah, no, it's fantastic to spend time with you today and just check in. And, uh, you know, we, we've been doing some announcement of the programme, uh, over the weekend and we've already got media, really positive reactions, and everyone's so excited that we're bringing the programme and yourselves down to the Maldives for the first time. And, and it's an exclusive programme for the Ritz-Carlton. We're very proud to have you and be partnered with you and the whole, uh, Ambassador of the Environment program. So thanks for your time today.

Dr Richard Murphy: 13:47

It was good talking to you. Yeah.

Mark Hehir: 13:48

Great. And, uh, we'll see you very soon. Okay. Well, I hope you enjoyed today's podcast. Join me next time. When we discover more about The Ritz-Carlton Maldives, Fari Islands.