Protecting Saya de Malha, the "invisible island
In his book L’Homme et l’Océan, préservons les océans pour protéger l’humanité, recently published by Flammarion Versilio, H.S.H. Albert II of Monaco expresses his love of the blue waves and his commitment to environmental issues and the marine environment.
In particular, this commitment has resulted in the relaunch of the Principality’s exploration missions, with the creation in 2017 of Explorations de Monaco.
This collaborative platform serving H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco’s commitment to knowledge, sustainable management and protection of the Ocean has led numerous multidisciplinary missions around the world over the past five years.
These missions have been carried out with the aim of combining scientific research, public outreach and governmental cooperation.
Monaco Explorations’ new mission in the western Indian Ocean is part of this quest for humanism and scientific truth.
It is the first element of the “Monaco Explorations” project approved as part of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Sciences for Sustainable Development 2021-2030.
The program of studies is structured around the Saya de Malha bank, co-managed by Mauritius and the Seychelles, the islands of Aldabra and Saint-Brandon, and the seamounts along the mission route.
It aims to meet the needs of the governments of Seychelles and Mauritius as a priority, while also ensuring effective coordination with relevant international and regional bodies and initiatives, such as the Second International Indian Ocean Expedition (IIOE-2 – 2015-2025) and the Seabed 2030-GEBCO project.
One of the world's largest herbariums
With a surface area of 40,000 km2, Saya de Malha is one of the world’s largest underwater seagrass beds.
Located in the open sea, it is home to little-known ecosystems that are remote and difficult to access, and have already been weakened by heavy fishing pressure.
Devoid of any landforms, this shallow plateau has been described as an “invisible island”.
The aim of this study is to gather data to determine whether this area requires special protection and, if so, to identify the management measures to be considered.
For two months, the various players involved in this large-scale operation – scientists, decision-makers, artists and mediation specialists – will pool their skills and combine their efforts, with the aim of raising awareness among the widest possible audience of the value of these natural areas and the pressures they face.
The challenge and stakes are commensurate with the role and commitment of the Principality and its Sovereign within the international community for the protection and sustainable management of the Ocean.
Robert Calcagno
Managing Director of the Société des Explorations de Monaco.
He has also been Managing Director of the Oceanographic Institute, Fondation Albert Ier, Prince of Monaco, since 2009.
