And when it comes to the sponsors, they do it to help raise awareness but they are concerned about the volume of waste generated at the various stops. Lands Manager at The Nature Conservancy explained further:
Lumen Cayetano - Enriquez, Lands Manager - TNC
"First of all is that it builds awareness or it affords us a platform to build awareness around the work that they're doing as it relates to freshwater protection and conservation."
"Like we would have heard the paddlers mention, without sponsors, they would not be able to enter into the race, we see it as added benefit that we are privileged enough to be able to share the resources that we have to support a team to enter this race."
Reporter
"Are there any environmental concerns that you all have when it comes to the commercialism of the different stops?"
Lumen Cayetano - Enriquez, Lands Manager - TNC
"Uhm, we do not necessarily have any environmental concerns but what we would want to speak to as it relates to the commercialization is that waste is managed properly, that is one of the major concerns that we would see as having an impact on the river because eventually whatever is left discarded out there will somehow make its way into the river and based on how we look at things holistically at the nature conservancy we're thinking that what happens upstream eventually has an impact lower downstream and even on the wider reef and marine ecosystem."
