Mark Shuttleworth in 2019, photograph from Canonical
The Saving Marion Island’s Seabirds: The Mouse-Free Marion (MFM) Project is excited to announce that it will receive a US$1 million donation from Mark Shuttleworth, a South African computer entrepreneur and a philanthropist. This welcome donation will contribute towards efforts to rid the island of its introduced House Mice that are threatening many of its breeding seabird species with local extinction.
Mark D. Anderson, CEO of BirdLife South Africa and Chair of the Mouse-Free Marion Project’s Management Committee, writes: “A few weeks ago, I had a fascinating discussion with Mark Shuttleworth about the Mouse-Free Marion Project. He asked insightful and thoughtful questions, reflecting his deep commitment to conservation. His passion is evident in his support for the protection of Príncipe Island off the west coast of Africa, and now, through his interest in our critical work to eradicate invasive House Mice from Marion Island, where they are causing devastating harm to albatrosses and petrels.”
Mark Shuttleworth is a South African-born tech entrepreneur, currently based in the United Kingdom. He initially specialised in digital certificates and internet security, first developed in his parents’ Cape Town garage while still a student. He is the Founder and CEO of Canonical, a company involved with open-source software.
Mark is a graduate of the University of Cape Town with a Bachelor of Business Science degree in Finance and Information Systems. He holds a honorary Doctor in Philosophy from the University of Cape Town awarded in 2002 and a Doctor in Philosophy: Information Technology (honoris causa) awarded by South Africa’s Nelson Mandela University in 2011. He has been into space, the first South African (and African) to do so, for eight days as a tourist in 2002, when he helped conduct scientific experiments related to genome and AIDS research aboard the International Space Station. He travelled to Antarctica in 2004. Mark is one of four Honorary Patrons of BirdLife South Africa, all of whom are passionate about the conservation of South Africa’s natural environment and its birds.
Mark Shuttleworth, first African in space, 2002
In recent years, Mark has turned his attention to environmental conservation and sustainable tourism. “He invested in the island of Príncipe, part of São Tomé and Príncipe, an African island nation close to the equator, aiming to transform it into a model for ecotourism. Príncipe’s rich biodiversity and pristine landscapes have benefited from Shuttleworth’s efforts to promote responsible tourism and protect natural habitats.” (click here). Mark has now continued his philanthropy by supporting the MFM Project, arguably South Africa’s most significant current environmental undertaking, in its effort to “re-wild” 30 000 hectares of South African island territory in the southern Indian Ocean.
On hearing the confirmation of one of the MFM Project’s most notable individual donations, Anton Wolfaardt, Project Manager said: “Mark Shuttleworth’s remarkable contribution provides a huge boost to our endeavour to restore Marion Island’s ecosystem. His generosity not only strengthens our capacity to deliver this globally significant conservation effort but also inspires others to support the protection of one of our planet’s most extraordinary wild places”.
Mark Shuttleworth’s magnificent donation will become available to the project in early 2026. In the meantime, the whole MFM Project team has been reenergized to continue its efforts to raise the balance of the necessary funding required to restore this sub-Antarctic jewel to its former glory.
John Cooper. News Correspondent, Mouse-Free Marion Project, 14 October 2025
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A Northern Giant Petrel on Marion Island by Snah of Artists and Biologists Unite for Nature (ABUN) for the MFM Project, after a photograph by Peter Ryan
The Mouse-Free Marion Project is a registered non-profit company (No. 2020/922433/08) in South Africa, established to eradicate the invasive albatross-killing mice on Marion Island in the Southern Ocean. The project was initiated by BirdLife South Africa and the South African Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment. Upon successful completion, the project will restore the critical breeding habitat of over two million seabirds, many globally threatened, and improve the island’s resilience to a warming climate. For more information or to support the project please visit mousefreemarion.org.
