Are you in love with the ocean? Do you love the gentle giants like manta rays and whale sharks?
Well I do. I love them so much that I went for a certification as PADI divemaster, so I could dive with them everyday eventually.
In June 2017, I joined an amazing company called Salesforce. Salesforce has vision of profitability and philanthropy as core pillars of the company’s DNA and co-founded the Pledge 1% organisation. That took shape as the 1-1-1 model, which dedicates 1% of the company’s equity, 1% of its product, and 1% of employees’ time back to the community. The 1% of employee time translates to 56 hours (7 days) of Volunteer Time Off (VTO) which can be used for any causes or NGO's that align with the employee's interests.
Naturally I organised a team of Salesforce volunteers from offices of Australia, Brazil, France, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, UK and USA to work with the marine biologist and ocean conservationist from an organisation called Manta Trust in the Maldives in August 2018.

Drone shot of manta rays over the Maldives

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Not only we get to dive everyday while taking photos of manta ray's belly for identification, we get to explore areas that are under-funded and collect valuable data for research.
The photos we captured was then matched in the Maldivian manta rays database, so the marine biologists are able to track manta rays feeding and mating behaviours.
We know so little about these animals that one of the oceanic manta rays seminars we attended has less than 10 slides in it! We don't know how do they sleep, where do they go at night, we've never witnessed a manta ray give birth in the wild and we're running out of time. Manta rays and mobula rays are listed as endangered and under CITES Appendix II. It means that we don't do anything now, they'll be threatened to extinction.
One of the reasons why manta rays are being illegally poached is the demand of their gill racks for traditional Chinese medicine that has risen in the past 10 years, even though they were not historically used for any purpose. These “gill plates” or “gill rakers” are feathery filaments of cartilage that the rays use to filter plankton from seawater as they swim.

"Toxicology tests by WildAid have also revealed that many of the gills sold at the Qingping market contain dangerous levels of heavy metals and carcinogens, including arsenic, cadmium, mercury and lead, toxic substances that accumulate as the mantas filter plankton through their gills."

Read more in the New York Times.

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We have to fully understand the economy of illegal trade of manta rays gills and the migration pattern of manta rays in order to preserve these majestic animals. Fishermen get paid USD$60-100 for each manta ray gill while each manta ray can generate USD$1M over its life time by tourism. Our Salesforce VTO Expedition was to ensure we contribute to Manta Trust's on-going research, so we can petition to governments for more marine protect areas and the hope of increase in tourism economy.

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Another key pillar of Manta Trust's work was education. Through interactive workshops and snorkelling lessons with local students and teachers, beach and mangroves clean ups, we were able to inspire and educate them about the beauty of these animals and preserve the environment they live in, so they don't have to live with plastic.
Sounds too good to be true? Check us out in action and the impact we’ve made with the 9-day expedition:

<h3>Ready to help?</h3>
You can find more information at https://www.mantatrust.org - they welcome volunteers in 3 key streams:
Expedition: Not only you can contribute to adding data to their database (we found 9 new manta rays in our expedition!), you're also helping the manta matching process that contribute to the research. They have expeditions in Maldives, Indonesia, Thailand and Mexico all year round.
IDtheManta: As long as you have photos of manta rays' belly, feel free to upload to the portal. You can also check out the guide on how to get the perfect manta ID.
Adopt a manta: The digital adoption packs make the perfect gift - an opportunity to learn about these gentle giants, whilst supporting global efforts to research and protect them.

Our mission is to raise awareness and provide education on manta ray conservation through eco-minded thematic trips. Manta Expeditions offers both liveaboard and land-based dive and snorkel trips that focus specifically on getting our guests in close proximity to manta rays, whale sharks and other ‘wish list’ marine species, while imparting expert knowledge and skills.

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The natural world is full of parasites, and large animals like manta rays offer the perfect micro-habitat for tiny animals to live on.

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Are you in love with the ocean? Do you love the gentle giants like manta rays and whale sharks? 

Well I do. I love them so much that I went for a certification as PADI divemaster, so I could dive with them everyday eventually.

![maldives-rainbow-story-manta.jpeg](https://res.cloudinary.com/dail4fbms/image/upload/v1638419522/maldives_rainbow_story_manta_df287b9da3.jpg)

Just over a year ago, I joined an amazing company called Salesforce. Salesforce is known for giving back with its 1-1-1 model. One of the 1% empowers employees 56 hours each year to volunteer with their NGO of choice and causes they care about.

Naturally I organised a team of Salesforce volunteers from offices of Australia, Brazil, France, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, UK and USA to work with the marine biologist and ocean conservationist from an organisation called Manta Trust in the Maldives in August 2018. 

Not only we get to dive everyday while taking photos of manta ray's belly for identification, we get to explore areas that are under-funded and collect valuable data for research.

![maldives-rainbow-story-people.jpeg](https://res.cloudinary.com/dail4fbms/image/upload/v1638419591/maldives_rainbow_story_people_bba93b8cf9.jpg)

The photos we captured was then matched in the Maldivian manta rays database, so the marine biologists are able to track manta rays' feeding and mating behaviours.

We know so little about these animals that one of the oceanic manta rays seminars we got has less than 10 slides in it! We don't know how do they sleep, where do they go at night, we've never witness a manta ray birth in the wild and we're running out of time. Manta rays and mobula rays are listed as endangered and under CITES Appendix II. It means that we don't do anything now, they'll be threatened to extinction.

One of the reasons why manta rays are being illegally poached is the demand of their gill racks for traditional Chinese medicine that has risen in the past 10 years, even though they were not historically used for any purpose. These “gill plates” or “gill rakers” are feathery filaments of cartilage that the rays use to filter plankton from seawater as they swim.

![maldives-rainbow-story-droneshot.png](https://res.cloudinary.com/dail4fbms/image/upload/v1638419633/maldives_rainbow_story_droneshot_41dc3cd7ff.png)

Toxicology tests by WildAid have also revealed that many of the gills sold at the Qingping market contain dangerous levels of heavy metals and carcinogens, including arsenic, cadmium, mercury and lead, toxic substances that accumulate as the mantas filter plankton through their gills.

We have to fully understand the economy of illegal trade of manta rays gills and the migration pattern of manta rays in order to preserve these majestic animals. Fishermen get paid USD$60-100 for each manta ray gill while each manta ray can generate USD$1M over its life time by tourism. Our Salesforce VTO Expedition was to ensure we contribute to Manta Trust's on-going research, so we can petition to governments for more marine protect areas and the hope of increase in tourism economy.

![maldives-rainbow-story.jpeg](https://res.cloudinary.com/dail4fbms/image/upload/v1638419249/maldives_rainbow_story_ee362f1d7e.jpg)

Another key pillar of Manta Trust's work was education. Through interactive workshops and snorkelling lessons with local students and teachers, beach and mangroves clean ups, we were able to inspire and educate them about the beauty of these animals and preserve the environment they live in, so they don't have to live with plastic.

Sounds too good to be true? Check us out in action and the impact we’ve made with the 9-day expedition:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1vZB6LpC8s

Ready to help? You can find more information on https://www.mantatrust.org/ and they welcome volunteers in 3 key streams:

Expedition: Not only you can contribute to adding data to their database (we found 9 new manta rays in our expedition!), you're also helping the manta matching process that contribute to the research. They have expeditions in Maldives, Indonesia, Thailand and Mexico all year round.
IDtheManta: As long as you have photos of manta rays' belly, feel free to upload to the portal. You can also check out the guide on how to get the perfect manta ID.
Adopt a manta: The digital adoption packs make the perfect gift - an opportunity to learn about these gentle giants, whilst supporting global efforts to research and protect them.
If you're a Salesforce employee, please reach out to me at rainbow.cheung@salesforce.com for details or look more info on chatter group. I can't wait for you to join us next year! 



Are you in love with the ocean? Do you love the gentle giants like manta rays and whale sharks?

Explore the destinations of the Asia, understand the COVID-19 entry requirements and volunteering, teaching and animal conservation experiences available.

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WhereNext | Destination Asia

A volunteer (VTO) experience about Manta Ray research and conservation project in the Maldives with Rainbow Cheung from Salesforce.


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WhereNext | Manta Ray Conservation in the Maldives

Dive to make a difference with Manta Trust

Nagano City is the highest prefectural capital in Japan, with an altitude of 371.4 meters

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Shibuya Crossing is the world's busiest pedestrian crossing, with as many as 3,000 people crossing at a time

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Known for receiving the world's best powder snow throughout winter

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Japan reopens for tourism, tourist visa, accepted Covid-19 vaccines and other border rules for tourists visiting Japan – effective October 11

Japan reopens for Tourism

Yvon Chouinard, an inspirational company leader. 

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Los Glaciares National Park is located in the Southwest of Santa Cruz Province in the Argentine part of Patagonia.

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The famous brand started in 1973 by Yvon Chouinard in 1973 catering for climbers

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Yvon Chouinard, the founder of outdoor clothing business Patagonia, is giving away the ownership of his US$3 billion company to fight climate change.

Patagonia's owner donates company

Saved from the brink of extinction since 2009

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Ecotourism has been a key driver to increase tiger populations

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Wild tigers in Nepal have clawed their way back from the brink of extinction. There are now almost three times as many wild tigers in the country as there were in 2009, according to the Nepalese government.

Tiger Populations Tripled in Nepal

Volunteering at Soi Dog Foundation supports their work in fighting the Asian dog meat trade

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Soi Dog also looks after the stray cats of Phuket

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This dog is being cared for and nursed back to health

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Volunteering at Soi Dog Foundation (Soi Dog) supports their work in fighting the Asian dog meat trade. They do this through a holistic approach of rescuing stray dogs and cats, sterilization, vaccination, medical treatment, shelter, and finally adoption.

Help End the Asian Dog Meat Trade

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Cutting beams to size for building the house frame

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Giving back to the community and team building for the Twilio APAC and Japan leadership organization

Building Houses (and Teams) in Cambodia

This volunteer experience assists Womb Stomp Wildlife who focus on rescuing, rehabilitating and releasing wombats and kangaroos around the Windellama area in NSW.


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The young wombat on the left was born on Halloween, so her name is Boo, and her mother is called Poppy.

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A volunteer (VTO) experience to help protect wombats in NSW

Protecting Wombats in Australia

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In 2019 the Salesforce UK channel and alliances arranged a trip up Mt. Kilimanjaro to raise funds for WorldReader, a fantastic charity dedicated to helping children through reading, technology and programming. 

Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro

The kids staying at Asha Nepal during a celebration lunch

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Scenic shot of the valley outside of Asha Nepal with the snow capped mountains in the distance.


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A group shot of the volunteers before heading back to our home countries.

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A volunteer (VTO) experience where a group of Salesforce staff and friends travel to Nepal to help disadvantaged people live a better life

The Badi Project in Nepal

A baby pufferfish travels through a wondrous, microworld full of fantastical creatures as he searches for a home on the Great Barrier Reef.


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Puff, the sharp-nosed Pufferfish, is shown to be beginning his life in the Great Barrier Reef. Here, a world exists that’s smaller than our thumb. We see the intricate workings of nature.

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A baby pufferfish travels through a wondrous, microworld full of fantastical creatures as he searches for a home on the Great Barrier Reef.

Puff: Wonders of the Reef by Netflix

A NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION FOCUSED ON GLOBAL REFORESTATION


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Planting 23 MILLION Trees 

Baby panda cubs in the nursery at the Bifengxia Panda Centre!

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In China's Sichuan province a round of hot pot that simultaneously burns and numbs the tongue.

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A volunteer experience working on Panda conservation in rural China. This trip was part of a Volunteer Time Off (VTO) project with Salesforce. 

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Dive to make a difference with Manta Trust

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Dive to make a difference with Manta Trust

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Dive to make a difference with Manta Trust

Rainbow Cheung
Marketing Cloud, Public Sector

Mar tech sales by day, sustainability advisor by night and weekends. Part of a very exciting women collective to drive systemic change and sustainability led startup.

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Dive to make a difference with Manta Trust

Dive to make a difference with Manta Trust

Rainbow CheungMarketing Cloud, Public Sector

Mar tech sales by day, sustainability advisor by night and weekends. Part of a very exciting women collective to drive systemic change and sustainability led startup.

Recommended Reading

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Our charities

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Rainbow Cheung
Marketing Cloud, Public Sector