Tara, a commitment for the planet / Tara Expeditions

Tara Expeditions organizes voyages to study and understand the impact of climate change and the ecological crisis facing the world's oceans.


Tara Expeditions is a French non-profit organization active since 2003 in favor of the environment. A legendary boat built for extreme conditions, Tara is the platform for high-level scientific research missions. Initiated by agnes b and Etienne Bourgois, Tara Expeditions developed from their passion for the sea, and their humanistic, engaged vision.



Tara's  expeditions study two major scientific themes: the world's oceans and climate change. In collaboration with scientific institutes, the expeditions contribute concrete results on these topics.

 
Tara Expeditions also helps raise the environmental awareness of the general public and young people, particularly through the Tara Junior website, and encourages policy makers to take action towards preserving the environment.


Expeditions since 2003



From 2004 to 2005, Tara undertook six expeditions to Greenland, Antarctica, Patagonia and South Georgia. Tara then accomplished two major expeditions: Tara Arctic and Tara Oceans.



2006/2008: Tara Arctic, on top of the world


From September 2006 to February 2008, Tara conducted a unique research mission over 507 historic days in extreme conditions. The schooner was the central platform for the DAMOCLES European scientific program during the International Polar Year. Embedded in and carried by the pack-ice, the schooner drifted through the Arctic sea with a dozen men and women on board. The main objective was to contribute to the study of climate change in the Arctic while monitoring daily air, atmospheric and ice-pack characteristics.



2009/2012: Tara Oceans, a global view


From September 2009 to March 2012, Tara Oceans was the very first attempt to do a global study of marine plankton -- the planet's ecosystem, composed of tiny organisms such as viruses, bacteria and algae. Marine plankton is the only ecosystem that is truly continuous over the Earth’s surface. Studying plankton is like taking the pulse of our planet.


Tara’s future 



2013: Next expedition to the Far North, Tara Oceans Polar Circle 


From May to November, Tara will circumnavigate the Arctic Ocean by the Northeast and Northwest Passages, if ice conditions permit, since the periods allowing passage are short. Most of the scientists and institutes involved in the previous Tara Oceans expedition will also participate in this project to study the polar marine ecosystem and complement the work done since 2009. New research programs specific to this region will be added concerning plastic particles and other pollutants. The expedition will also have a political purpose by putting on center stage a region at the heart of the world’s climate system.

2015/2016: Tara will conduct a research project on coral reefs -- deep-water as well as surface reefs (to be confirmed). This expedition will be in collaboration with director Luc Jacquet and his organization, Wild Touch and the diver Laurent Ballesta. It will take place in the Pacific and  South-East Asia, and will end in Hong Kong.



2016: Tara will attend a new Arctic drift, embedded in and carried by the pack-ice, but this time in the Bering Strait.
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In May 2009, Tara Expeditions became an endowment fund (non-profit organisation), with headquarters at 12, rue Dieu, 75010 Paris, France.

The Tara Endowment Fund is accredited to receive donations and bequests to help finance  Tara Expeditions, a mission to better understand our planet.In the United States, the Tara Foundation for Marine Research was created in 2010 to help support the Tara Expeditions projects.