Aktuelle Nachrichten 2007 Übersicht 11.0ß7.2007 Ellen, the albatross and a new website… IN BRIEF: - Tomorrow night BBC4 will be broadcasting a 60-minute documentary covering Ellen’s visit to South Georgia as research assistant to marine biologist, Sally Poncet, highlighting the desperate plight of the albatross. BBC4, 9pm, Tuesday, 12th June [BBC Four is a BBC television channel available to digital television via Freeview, satellite and cable viewers in the UK] - Check out Ellen’s new website now online – a new look reflecting her passion for sailing and her keen interest in the sustainability debate http://www.ellenmacarthur.com IN DETAIL: This documentary features previously unseen footage from Ellen’s two-month visit to South Georgia in December 2005 to pursue a cause close to her heart, the plight of the albatross. These graceful, powerful birds were frequent companions onher solo circumnavigations but are now facing tough times in the turbulent Southern Ocean. Their numbers are massively in decline at the rate of over 100,000 albatrosses each year, mainly due to long-line fishing. Nineteen of the 21 species of albatross are now endangered, many critically. Ellen accompanied marine biologist, Sally Poncet, on her annual birdlife survey on South Georgia to see the impact of this for herself. Every year Sally spends two weeks on a small, uninhabited island called Albatross Island, studying the Wandering Albatrosses that nest there. It is a highly protected area, still free of predatory rats and other introduced species, and only Sally and her assistant are allowed to stay there. On this occasion, Ellen was lucky enough to join Sally as her assistant. “My hope for this programme is to make people aware of what is happening to the albatross and to try to capture the magic of the Southern Ocean, specifically the island of South Georgia. “Realising that these magnificent birds are facing extinction and being in this wonderful, wild and unique place, so full of nature and history reinforced my thoughts about man’s detrimental impact on the environment and how humans use and abuse the Earth’s resources without giving much thought to the impact that has on our eco-system. The world’s resources are not infinite and it’s good that we are now addressing what will happen when those resources run out. The more we understand the issues, the better we can find the solutions.” New Ellen website: To find out more about Ellen’s keen interest in moving towards a more sustainable personal and business lifestyle, visit the Our Long Term Challenge http://www.ellenmacarthur.com/default.asp?section=challenge page on Ellen’s new website now online. This new look website reflects her continued passion for the sport of sailing, but also her other activities on land, including her love of the environment and protecting the planet that she has already circumnavigated three times. http://www.ellenmacarthur.com New Performance Partner: VI (Virtual Internet) are the exclusive supplier of website hosting and SMTP email services to the Offshore Challenges Sailing Team. Email delivered by VI http://www.vi.net http://www.vi.net/ For further information, please contact: Katie Green, OC Group T: +44 (0)870 063 0210 E: Katie.green@ocgroup.com