June 4, 2020
News Ocean Indian Mission
First meeting with the scientific experts of the Indian Ocean Mission 2021
Monaco Explorations are preparing a large-scale mission in the Indian Ocean in the spring of 2021. This campaign will take place aboard one of the ships of the French oceanographic fleet on a leg between Reunion Island, Mauritius and the Seychelles.
On board, scientists from different backgrounds will collaborate and pool their efforts to explore areas that are little known because they are very isolated on the high seas.
On the programme:
- Mapping the seabed,
- Physical oceanographic measurements,
- The identification of marine biodiversity and an assessment of its health.
All these studies aim to support the steps taken by the governments of Mauritius and Seychelles to achieve the objective of protecting 30% of their maritime space by 2030.
On 4 June this year, twelve scientific experts who will be involved in the campaign met with the Director of Explorations of Monaco, Gilles Bessero. As each of them had submitted a project specific to their field of study a few weeks ago, this meeting served to make a general progress report and to start organising the pooling of the various works.
With :
Sylvain Bonhommeau and Julien Barde, Ifremer and UMR MARBEC,
Herve Claustre, Laboratory of oceanography, Villefranche-sur Mer,
Dorota Czerucka et François Seneca, Ocean and health, Centre Scientifique de Monaco,
Christine Ferrier-Pagès, Corals ecophysiology, Centre Scientifique de Monaco,
Sébastien Jaquemet, UMR ENTROPIE, La Réunion University.
Francis Marsac, Institut of Research and Development (IRD), unity mist of research « MARine Biodiversity, Exploitation and Conservation » (UMR MARBEC),
David Mouillot, Montpellier University, International consortium Megafauna,
Quentin Schull and Jérôme Bourjea, Ifremer,
Margot Thibault, UMR « Marine Tropical Ecology of Pacific and Indian Oceans » (ENTROPIE), La Réunion University.
