Did You Know – The Evolcare Foundation was already set up before the brand was established? Just like you, we believe in the importance of giving back. Thanks to you and every product you’ve purchased at Evolcare, we have contributed 1RM on your behalf to the Marine Research Foundation (MRF)! For this Earth Day, we’re pleased to have Dr. Nicolas J. Pilcher, the Founder & Executive Director of MRF, to share more about our exciting collaboration.

[EVOLCARE]
What is the story behind MRF?

[Dr. Nicolas J. Pilcher]
MRF was borne out of a need in Malaysia where marine conservation was a conversation topic, but where nobody was actually doing anything about it. I started my life as a scientist, and was measuring and counting and being a true science geek. But the more I watched, the more species were in trouble and I didn’t see anyone doing anything about it. MRF was created as an avenue to approach marine conservation issues head on – not studying them, but actually doing something about them. And we found an amazing niche: linking our passion for science and conservation, we now provide the very best science and evidence to help governments make informed decisions on conservation, and have impacted the way species are protected across a number of countries in the Asia-Pacific region.

[EVOLCARE]
What’s the greatest threat to marine animals?

[Dr. Nicolas J. Pilcher]
Apathy. The greatest threat to animals is just standing by and watching things happen. I know this is probably not the answer most people would think of first, but the truth is that to solve marine conservation issues we need people to act. For instance: A major issue for endangered species such as turtles, shark and rays is entanglement in fishing gear (known as bycatch). But simply knowing this will not stop it from happening. We need to change the way fishers fish – the gears they use, the places they fish, and possibly even the seasons when they fish. The idea is not to tell a fisher he or she cannot fish – the idea is to show them how they can fish more sustainably. This is a very big part of what MRF does: we work with trawl fishermen to insert Turtle Excluder Devices in their nets – this allows them to continue fishing while saving sea turtles at the same time. We also document bycatch events with special in-house designed cameras to provide the basis for government fisheries management decisions.

[EVOLCARE]
How does our contribution help with marine research?

[Dr. Nicolas J. Pilcher]
At the moment the Evolcare funds go to support our work on climate change and the conservation of sea turtles. The reason is rather straightforward: Sea turtles become male or female based on the temperature of the sand when the eggs are incubating. Nothing to do with pesky X and Y chromosomes. Warm sands lead to more females, and cool sands lead to more males. As the world warms, there is a fear sea turtle populations could become feminised, leading to lower reproductive output. MRF runs the longest in-water monitoring programme for sea turtles in all of SE Asia, and our work is an advance warning system on the potential impacts of climate on sea turtles.

 

As we celebrate Earth Day today, Evolcare looks forward to more collaborations with values dear to our heart. Together with you, we can make a difference.