Pelagos Agreement and Rotary Club de Monaco brighten up a cetacean-friendly installation.

M Abti
Dec 23, 2023
2 min read

Updated: Dec 30, 2023

All united for the cetaceans that populate the north of the Mediterranean. The Pelagos Sanctuary in partnership with the Rotary Club de Monaco mobilised to launch an artistic initiative in order to raise awareness on the importance of cetaceans as biodiversity indicators. Inaugurated on the 7th December 2023 in the presence of H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco and H.S.H. Princess Charlene of Monaco, “Aurora” showroom by the artist Thomas Monin conveys the urgency of protecting marine mammals in the Pelagos Sanctuary. A monumental phosphorescent metal and silicone whale lights up at night at the Rainier III Nautical Stadium in the iconic Port Hercules. And it will continue to do so for three months.

The installation is also accompanied by a set of explanatory panels, visible on the Quai Albert as part of the Monaco Christmas Market, to communicate useful information about marine mammals while providing with the latest online educational game addressed to young audience, recently designed as a result of the fruitful collaboration between Pelagos Agreement and Monaco's Rotary Club to celebrate the centenary of Prince Rainier III.

Pelagos Agreement

The Pelagos Agreement was signed by France, Italy and the Principality of Monaco and entered into force in 2002 with the aim to create a specific Sanctuary for the protection of marine mammals in the Mediterranean Sea. It is the only cross-border area dedicated to the protection of cetaceans, emblematic species concentrating in this marine space. The Agreement was meant to assess and manage the impact of humans on marine mammal species and habitats. The Sanctuary is a Specially Protected Areas of Mediterranean Importance (SPAMI) recognised by the Barcelona Convention of the United Nations Environment Programme and it has recently been declared Particularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA) with the «Spanish Cetacean Corridor».

Rotary Club de Monaco

Rotary International, established in 1905, brings together more than 1,400,000 decision-makers from all continents and cultures to take action to provide long-term solutions to face the most pressing problems. The preservation of the environment with a special focus to the oceans is one of the topics of great interest. The Rotary Club of Monaco, founded in 1937, has been working to protect the marine environment since the 1990s. In particular, it worked to create a Marine Sanctuary in the Mediterranean, in association with the Clubs of Milan Porta Vercellina and Saint-Tropez. The signing of the Pelagos Agreement in 1999 by Monaco, France and Italy reaffirmed its engagement. Since 2018, the Environment Commission has been strengthening, promoting and expanding environmental actions.

To know more about the new online game on Pelagos Sanctuary please visit: https://pelagos- sanctuary.org/fr/activites-pour-les-enfants/

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