The Department of Environment organizes a conference on “Monaco underwater : focus on marine litter”. The conference will focus on three subjects :

– First, the Secretariat of the RAMOGE agreement (tripartite agreement between Italy, France and Monaco which aims to preserve the marine environment) will present its actions to limit marine litter before shedding light on the waste accumulation areas identified during its deep-sea exploration campaigns with the collaboration of the Department. In fact, two deep-sea exploration campaign were conducted in the RAMOGE area (50 to 400m deep), to have an overall picture of habitats (often poorly known), protected species and human pressures (marine litters and fishing gears). The second campaign took place in 2018 with the use of substantial ressources allowing exploration of areas up to 2000m deep to observe biodiversity and anthropogenic pressures. A film showing an impressive cluster of marine litter on the sea-bed and the inceredible biodiversity found at this depth was shot and will be projected during the Conference.

– Secondly, the conference will make public the results of the submarine clean-up action conducted by the Department on september 20, 2019, the eve of the World Clean Up Day. Different divers from institutionals stakehloders of the Principality have recovered waste, mainly fishing nets on the submarine rocks called “Saint-Nicolas”, known for hosting lot of biodiversity. Photos and shorts films will illustrate this operation. Similar clean-up actions have been organised each year allowing the Departement of Environnement to monitor these rocks conditions which are protected by a fishing interdiction since 2016.

– Finaly, to comply with the Sustainable Development Goals (United Nations), The Department of Environment carry out a waste collection under the sea, following the officials directives. This operation aims to identify the caracteristics and quantity of waste on the seabed near the coast.This dive will took place in october and the results supported by a short film will be presented during the conference. This first data collection will set the reference point for future dives and will determine the origin of waste (telluric, marine, activities…). On that base, the Department will be able to take the appropriate measures to achieve the UN goals.

The purpose of the conference is to show to a wide audience the effect of waste, mainly plastic waste, on the sea and its biodiversity: deep on water and along the coast.
It’ll permit to present the biodiversity of the Monaco seabed, explain where those marine litter are comming from and what are the concrete actions of states on this subject.
A new regulation prohibiting  the use of disposable plastic tableware will come into force on January 1, 2020, it’s important that people understand why this regulation is necesary. The conference also echoing the ban of plastic straws and sticks effective since January 1st, 2019 in Monaco