Pelagos Sanctuary: Tethys and four Ligurian municipalities unite to raise awareness and protect it
The large Marine Protected Area for the conservation of marine mammals in the north-western Mediterranean called Pelagos Sanctuary has been in existence for 25 years, yet many people are not fully aware of its importance and, at times, even of its very presence.This is often true even for those who live, work, or vacation along its shores.
To “tell the story “of the Pelagos Sanctuary to the people who frequent Liguria, a new project has been launched, funded by the Italian Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security (MASE), using various means, some of them quite unconventional: from local and online meetings, to a video featuring spectacular and exclusive footage, and even a comic book.
The project “Santuario Pelagos: conoscerlo per amarlo e proteggerlo” (Pelagos Sanctuary: get to know it to love and protect it) led by the Municipality of Sanremo, aims to inform the Ligurian region about the importance of this vast marine protected area that spans Liguria, Tuscany, Sardinia, the Principality of Monaco, and France. The Tethys Research Institute, along with the municipalities of Sanremo, Ceriale, Levanto, and Zoagli, is leading various activities using tailored communication methods for different audiences.
A series of webinars led by Tethys experts targets municipal staff, primary and secondary school teachers, and stakeholders such as hoteliers, business owners, and entrepreneurs. Key points include the characteristics of the Sanctuary and the objectives of the Pelagos Agreement, which was established through an unprecedented international agreement between Italy, France, and the Principality of Monaco.
The emphasis is also on promoting this large marine protected area and its related opportunities for sustainable development. Whales and dolphins, as well as the Sanctuary itself, can be important resources for a region like Liguria.
However, the many threats faced by cetaceans and their environment, mostly due to human activity, will not be overlooked. But what can be done? There are good practices to mitigate the impact on such a fragile environment, which is in close contact with a densely populated territory. Their implementation is in our hands, and that’s why schools – both teachers and students from the four municipalities – will also be involved.
Teachers will be offered online meetings and access to the “Mission Pelagos” website, created, with the support of the Soroptimist International Club of Italy, by Tethys and Verdeacqua, a Milan-based cooperative specializing in educational and environmental fields. This innovative website provides digital tools and multimedia content, with one section dedicated to teachers and another to students, divided by age groups, with three progressive levels from elementary to middle school.
Finally, the project also targets citizens and tourists, offering engaging tools to spark curiosity: for adults, a brand new video featuring the most spectacular footage from Tethys, and for younger audiences (and not only), a specially created comic book telling the story of the creation of the Pelagos Sanctuary.
