Mark Shuttleworth built his fortune by betting on open-source technology. Now, the South African entrepreneur and space tourist is placing a different kind of bet one on the survival of a species.
The Ubuntu Linux founder has pledged US1 million to the Mouse-Free Marion Project, a bold conservation initiative aiming to protect the worlds largest flying bird, the wandering albatross, from extinction. The donation gives fresh momentum to a decades-long battle against invasive mice that have decimated seabird colonies on Marion Island a sub-Antarctic outpost 2,000 kilometres off South Africas coast.
For Shuttleworth, who made history as Africas first private space traveller, this isnt just philanthropy its a strategic investment in biodiversity. The threat from invasive mammals on seabird islands is one of the most tractable, yet under-resourced, conservation challenges, he said in a prepared statement. Supporting Marion is about proving whats possible when technology, logistics and ambition align.