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By Sarah Lagan
Published Mar 23, 2015 at 11:56 am (Updated Mar 23, 2015 at 11:56 am)

Water conservation: the Global HSBC Water Programme will benefit local freshwater conservation
project in partnership with the Bermuda Zoological Society and Greenrock. The announcement
at the HSBC headquarters was attended by, from left, Louise Wakefield, Dr Jamie Bacon,
Richard Moseley, Chris Backenberg and Tara Cassidy (Photo by Akil Simmons)

The Global HSBC Water Programme has received funding to support two conservation projects in Bermuda.

The programme is a five-year, $100 million partnership with Earthwatch, Water Aid and the World Wildlife Fun to provide a combination of water provision, protection and education, benefiting communities in need, enabling people to prosper, and driving economic development and growth.

The Global HSBC Water Programme funds more than 59 water-related projects in 35 countries and Bermuda has now been included as a participant.

It received funding for the Bermuda Zoological Society, with the support of Greenrock, to reinforce the message of sustainability with a focus on freshwater preservation.

Cloverdale and Evan’s Bay brackish ponds, critical habitats for endemic and endangered species as well as some migrating birds, are the focus of one of the projects.

Studies have revealed that sediment in the ponds have toxic levels of contaminants such as water run-off from roads, pesticides and cesspits, which are a threat to pond species and groundwater quality. This could potentially affect Bermuda’s freshwater supply.

The ponds will also benefit from cleaning through aeration of sediments as well as removal of invasive plant species.

Second, the Global Programme aims to find 7,500 HSBC staff volunteers around the world to help with water research through its Citizen Science Leaders programme. The CSL will offer training on how to take measurements of water quality and upload data to Freshwater Watch, which will in turn help scientists in their work. HSBC Bermuda employees will have the opportunity to collect data from local ponds.

With the funding, the BZS will work to prevent further contamination by diverting and filtering the storm water through sumps and treating it with absorbent materials.

“We are delighted to partner with these local organisations on these important projects which focus on water access, cleanliness and preservation,” said Richard Mosley, the chief executive officer of HSBC Bermuda. “Access to clean water is a global challenge and we are pleased to be actively involved here in Bermuda in helping to address this issue, and educate our community and young people on the importance of sustainable water access.”