FEBRUARY 13 AND 14, 2011, AT THE OCEANOGRAPHIC MUSEUM OF MONACO
NEARLY 80 INTERNATIONAL PERSONALITIES CONCERNED WITH THE SEA, INCLUDING GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS, SCIENTISTS, BUSINESS LEADERS, AND CIVIL SOCIETY ACTORS, WILL GATHER FOR THE SECOND EDITION OF THE MONACO BLUE INITIATIVE.
The MBI 2011 will focus on the development and management of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). The discussions held during the first meeting on top predators and deep-sea environments will be deepened by exploring the key role that MPAs can play in the protection and sustainable use of these natural resources.
This new edition will make the Monaco Blue Initiative an exceptional platform for proposals towards a new vision and governance of these protected spaces. Constructive debates will lead to concrete recommendations for the preservation of the marine environment, applicable at the highest political level.
The creation of marine protected areas is an effective tool to provide lasting protection and enable the restoration and wise, economically rewarding use of this natural heritage. The marine areas should not be considered as pieces of nature under a bell jar but as tools for the sustainable management of oceans and coastal areas.
While they protect sensitive environments and endangered species, they also help increase the productivity of fishing areas, regulate different uses of the sea, guide sustainable tourism, and create new job-generating activities. The current challenges are the creation of new MPAs and the establishment of a coherent and representative ecological network of MPAs in all the world’s oceans and seas to meet the objectives set by the Convention on Biological Diversity. There is also a need to provide existing MPAs with sufficient resources to properly manage these spaces and to implement effective conservation measures.
The Program:
Sunday, February 13
7:15 PM Welcome address by His Excellency Mr. Bernard Fautrier, Vice President and CEO of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, and Mr. Robert Calcagno, Director-General of the Oceanographic Institute, Albert I, Prince of Monaco Foundation.
7:25 PM Presentation by Mr. Fahey, President of the National Geographic Society, of the film “Secrets of the Mediterranean: Cousteau’s lost world.”
7:30 PM Address by His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco.
7:35 PM – 8:45 PM World premiere screening of the film “Secrets of the Mediterranean: Cousteau’s lost world.”
8:45 PM Reception and welcome dinner of the Monaco Blue Initiative in the presence of HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco at the Aquarium.
Monday, February 14
9:00 AM – 11:00 AM Political session on Marine Protected Areas.
11:30 AM – 1:00 PM Application session for the development and management of MPAs.
2:30 PM – 5:15 PM Follow-up sessions of the 2010 Monaco Blue Initiative and practical application on Marine Protected Areas.
(2:30 PM – 3:45 PM) “The deep sea: a new biodiversity to protect.”
(4:00 PM – 5:15 PM) “Large marine species: keystone of marine ecosystems.”
A film produced by National Geographic will be premiered in Monaco to raise awareness of the changes undergone by the oceans since the Cousteau era and the multiple benefits of creating marine protected areas.
