Rolex Perpetual Planet Partner Mission Blue Announces New Hope Spot

For legendary oceanographer and explorer Sylvia Earle, Founder of marine conservation organization Mission Blue, “the Azores Archipelago is a magnet for life. It really is a magical place. Launching the Azores as a Hope Spot is so logical – just ask the whales.”

Whales and porpoises will be among the hundreds of marine species to benefit from a new Mission Blue ‘Hope Spot’ in Portugal’s Azores Archipelago, a grand oasis in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean known for its rare and richly valuable ecological and biological qualities.

Rolex and Mission Blue, one of the pillars of the company’s Perpetual Planet initiative, have a shared commitment to preserving the planet. For over a decade, Mission Blue has ignited action to protect critical ocean ecosystems. It has, to date, established more than 130 Hope Spots in parts of the oceans, like the newly announced one in the Azores, that are considered vital to the preservation of species, or places where communities rely on a healthy marine environment to survive.

The Azores – Protecting A Deep-Sea Ecosystem

The islands of the Azores harbour is an important deep-sea ecosystem that attracts 25 species of cetaceans such as whales and porpoises that find rich feeding grounds among the archipelago’s concealed seamounts. Hundreds of species of fish, along with coral gardens and sponges, also thrive in the warmer waters. However, this rich ecosystem is under pressure from human activities including fishing, coastal construction, marine transport, and agriculture.