Organisation
The Icewhale Foundation was set up to achieve two goals: increasing knowledge about the Icewhale and publicizing the Icewhale as “Icon of the Arctic Ice” and “Figurehead of Climate Conservation”.
The Icewhale Foundation was set up to achieve two goals: increasing knowledge about the Icewhale and publicizing the Icewhale as “Icon of the Arctic Ice” and “Figurehead of Climate Conservation”.
How many Icewhales exist and in which area do they occur? Why do the animals go deep into the ice in the middle of the dark polar winter and why do they sing a huge variety of whale songs 24 hours a day? Do they visit each other in ice packs to mate and reproduce? Do they need the sea ice for their survival? And what happens to these animals when the Arctic ice keeps melting? How vulnerable is the species to global warming of the North Pole, to pollution and, in particular, to noise pollution caused by increased shipping?
The Icewhale Foundation wants to add to the understanding of the life and habitat of the Icewhale by organizing a series of scientific polar winter expeditions. With the knowledge thus obtained we will be able to better protect the species, for example by setting up MPAs (Marine Protected Areas).
Despite its special characteristics (weighing 100,000 kilos and reaching an age of more than 200 years) the Icewhale is not well known at all, neither by scientists nor by the public. Why does everybody know about the Orca and the Polar Bear and hardly anybody about the Greenland Whale or the Icewhale? This is probably due to its hidden lifestyle in an area that is very difficult to access due to harsh conditions, especially in the polar winter. We feel that it is of upmost importance that everyone becomes acquainted with this special species. The Icewhale is illustrative of the effect of global warming through the direct relationship between the survival of the species and the survival of the Arctic ice. A better indicator of the results of our climate objectives is almost unthinkable!
The Icewhale Foundation is a private initiative and was founded by a few enthusiastic biologists.
The Scientific Advisory Board and Recommendation committee advised the board.