British billionaire, Sir Richard Branson is launching a new ‘Sea Change Fund’ in the Caribbean to protect the region’s endangered mangroves.

The announcement was made this week in Bimini, where Branson met with small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs in The Bahamas. 

The project is being implemented also in a bid to support mangrove forest restoration projects in the Caribbean. 

It is being undertaken by Virgin Unite, the independent foundation of Branson’s Virgin Group, in partnership with the Virgin Voyages cruise line. 

Bimini is one of the ports of call for Virgin Voyages, home to the line’s Beach Club at Bimini. The Bimini archipelago is also home to some of the most remarkable mangrove forests in the wider region. 

Mangroves support coastal resilience against natural disasters, and additionally play a vital role in mitigating climate change impacts on the region’s ecosystem.

Virgin Voyages’ senior director of sustainability and social impact, Jill Stoneberg commented that, ”working with Virgin Unite, we believe this is a start of an exciting program of work that will create an epic sea change in mangrove conservation across the region and act as a blueprint for other parts of the world”.