H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco spoke out for ocean protection at Elafonisos Eco Week.
- M Abti
- Apr 28
- 4 min read
Their ecological commitment involves an entire community on a Greek island in the Southern Peloponnese. Its mission is deeply rooted in consistent actions aimed at nature conservation, social change towards sustainability and blue economy implementation. Founded in 2013, Elafonisos Eco is an out-of-ordinary ecological association fully committed to preserve a Natura 2000 site contributing to a better quality of life for both the local community and the foreign visitors who spend their holidays there. The value of the project has attracted the attention of major players, notably: Dyonisia-Theodaro Avgerinopoulon, Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for the Ocean, Christos Kellas, Deputy Minister of Rural Development and Food, Dimitris Ptokos, Governor of Peloponesus, Petros Varelidis, General Secretary of Natural Environment and Water, Manolis Grafakos, General Secretary of Waste Management Coordination, Vassili G. Apostolopoulos, Honorary Consul of Monaco to Greece, and the Stelios Foundation which has recently become a main sponsor.
The 2025 edition of Elafonisos Eco Week, held from the 14th to the 16th of April, under the umbrella of Elafonisos Municipality, marked the attendance of leading figures who made the initiative all the better and more relevant focusing on a sustainable future made of taking-action scenarios. The Sovereign Prince of Monaco inspired the audience with some meaningful words in His second participation to the annual meeting, being among the partners of the Monaco Blue Initiative.
H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco expressed His deep support to Elafonisos Eco Week as a driver of Mediterranean biodiversity conservation through the ongoing commitment to counter the spread of lionfish, an invasive fish species that is threatening the biological balance of the Mediterranean.
In His keynote speech, on the 15th April 2025, praised all the work done so far in promoting nature-based solutions to build up a completely sustainable vision, thanks to the contribution of the whole community and of the volunteers, contributing to cleanups, education and awareness campaigns.
The Sovereign Prince pointed out: « Elafonisos Eco Week promotes, throughout the year, the sustainable development and conservation of your natural and cultural heritage. And it gives us the opportunity to see just how effective and meaningful these initiatives are ».
He then called for the creation in Elafonisos of a special marine research hub, appointing it as a Mediterranean's Invasive Species Living Lab, with special regard to lionfish.
In particular, He highlighted: « I would also like to draw attention to the major initiative addressing the lionfish issue. This invasive species, as we all know, is one of the many threats the Mediterranean Sea is currently facing. (...) It thrives on our difficulty in devising responses that are proportionate to the scale of the challenge ».
The Sovereign Prince recalled then the direct contribution of the Principality in the fight against plastic pollution through targeted initiatives involving local schools, with the support of BeMed, Beyond Plastic Med action, supported by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation. He stressed: « By meeting citizens’ expectations through virtuous mechanisms, and by developing new and responsible solutions that will allow us to feed humanity, care for its health, and meet its essential needs, we will be able to build a genuine Blue Economy. An economy capable of protecting our seas and ecosystems genuinely —and of continuing to advance even in these uncertain times. An economy that also benefits local populations, by transforming the immense wealth of the sea into a source of lasting progress for humanity ».
Last but hot least, He reaffirmed the will to work together to make Elafonisos island a Marine Protected Area (MPA) to effectively safeguarding its marine habitat. He concluded: « I believe this is the blueprint for a model which benefits everyone (...). It is a model we can apply to many other fields, particularly at a time when, as we see today, some public authorities and major global powers are turning away from environmental
concerns. I am particularly thinking about the development in Mediterranean of marine protected area, which is essential, and for which we have adopted an ambitious target of protecting 30% of our seas by 2030 ». ***
Enrico Toja, President of Elafonisos ECO: When ecology marks the social and economic evolution of a whole Greek island.
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By Maurice Abbati
Journalist; Editor; Communication, Media and Public Relations Specialist
Lecturer and Author in English language of Technical Articles and the Manual: "Communicating the Environment to Save the Planet, a Journey into Eco-Communication" by Springer International Publishing.
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