Microsoft partners with The Nature Conservancy to help preserve the oceans

As part of the Upgrade Your World campaign, Windows posted another blog post today spotlighting another nonprofit organization. Today, Microsoft shared that it was partnering with The Nature Conservancy, an organization that studies oceans and analyzes data about the value that they have in our lives.

Through the Mapping Ocean Wealth project, The Nature Conservancy studies underwater habitats and marine ecosystems that benefit people globally. According to Jennifer Greene, Strategy Lead for Integrated Ocean and Coastal Management for North America Ocean and Coasts, the initiative with Windows “helps make the invisible, visible.”

The ocean has a vast amount of information that is primed for research. As one of the most substantial influences on global livelihood, the title ‘Mapping Ocean Wealth’ pertains to fully understanding how much value humans receive from the ocean. Some of the larger values include:

• Covering 70% of our planet and supporting 100% of life on Earth
• Contributing 50-85% of the oxygen in the atmosphere
• Providing 17% of the global population’s protein
• Supporting a $190 billion global seafood industry

The Mapping Ocean Wealth has now set up over forty sites along the coast of different continents, including the Caribbean, Mexico, Micronesia, and Australia. United States East Coast scientists have settled down in Nahant, MA where the Marine Coast Fisherman’s Association has also teamed up with The Nature Conservancy. In an area that is primarily supported by the aquatic population, the initiative has begun collecting data from using camera systems to count how many fish they caught and studying the quality of ocean habitat in their fishing area.

Window’s blog post shares that they are proud to support The Nature Conservancy with a total of $500,000 in cash investment and technological donations. This is the last organization for Microsoft to visit for the Upgrade Your World campaign which started last July as a year-long initiative. Through the campaign, we’ve seen charitable donations and interests such as providing health-related devices for the Special Olympics.

While it’s a shame to know this is the finale of the campaign, Microsoft still has a lot to celebrate for their good deeds. If you are interested in learning more about The Nature Conservancy and/or supporting their cause, visit their official website.