Teen's campaign to sponsor conservation efforts on Marion Island takes flight

Image credit: Romario Valentine/BackaBuddy

Led by BirdLife South Africa and the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, the project seeks to eliminate the invasive mice that threaten albatrosses on Marion Island in the Southern Ocean.

The island's albatross population is being attacked and killed by introduced house mice, putting it at high risk of local extinction.

The 14-year-old aims to sponsor 100 hectares of the island's 30,000 hectares — located ~2,300 km southeast of Cape Town — through his crowdfunding campaign.

Once completed successfully, the project will rehabilitate the essential breeding habitat for more than two million seabirds, many of which are globally threatened. It will enhance the island’s ability to withstand a warming climate.

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Leading with purpose

Experiencing life as an Orca in a school production at the age of six spurred Valentine to advocate for marine life.

Since then, he has frequently spoken out about the issues facing marine life.

He has supported conservation initiatives at various locations, including the Umgeni River Bird Sanctuary in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal; Birds of Eden in Plettenberg Bay, Western Cape; the Zeitz Foundation in Segera, Kenya; and BirdLife South Africa’s Mouse-Free Marion Project.

His efforts have also earned him several accolades, including being named an ambassador for Ocean Sole and Youth for Lions South Africa, and receiving the BirdLife South Africa Owlet Award, the Wessa Youth Environmental Award and the Pick n Pay Hero Award.

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Freshly armed with the Phase One Certification as a SANParks (South African National Parks) Junior Honorary Ranger in the Lowveld, he says he is looking forward to continuing his “calling to ‘take care of nature’ and protect our precious aquatic feathered friends.”

In addition to the MFM project, he supports the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB) and the Albatross Task Force (ATF).

If you’re interested in supporting this young man’s admirable cause, head on over to Romario's Seabirds Conservation page on BackaBuddy.