On the initiative of the Prince’s Government and the Oceanographic Institute, more than 40 sea users gathered at the Oceanographic Museum. To attend and participate in an awareness meeting for the protection of sea turtles.
While the brand new Monegasque Center for Marine Species Care (CMSEM) is entering its operational phase, divers, recreational boaters, fishers, harbourmasters and other regular Monegasque practitioners were present to acquire the right reflexes in case of an encounter with a sea turtle.
The participants were sensitised about the rules of intervention and manipulation of turtles. Knowing how to identify a sea turtle is in distress, handle it by good practices, etc. are some of the steps.
Produced with the support of the Prince’s Government, the CMSEM is part of an ambitious program that the Oceanographic Institute and its partners have been conducting for several years to raise awareness and act for the preservation of sea turtles. The CMSEM now participates directly in the conservation of these threatened species. Also collaborates in the programs of studies which are dedicated to them.
“We are delighted by the launch of the CMSEM and the enthusiasm it generates among Monegasque stakeholders involved in the protection of the ocean. It is an important tool for the Principality of Monaco and its actions in favour of the environment. With this new centre, we are very clearly involved in a collaborative dynamic; on the one hand, the network of health centres around the Mediterranean that we reinforce, on the other, a collective of sea users committed to our side,” said Marie-Pierre Gramaglia, Government Counselor – Minister of the Equipment, Environment and Urbanism.
The mobilization was also an opportunity to take stock of the biology of sea turtles, the threats to their existence and the preventive measures carried out by the Principality’s stakeholders. Like the observation program conducted by ACCOBAMS, the ban on disposable plastic products set up by the Prince’s Government or the BeMed project initiated by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation.