Family photo at the entrance of the Oceanographic Institute

The 10th edition of the Monaco Blue Initiative (MBI) convened on Monday, 25 March, at the Oceanographic Institute of Monaco. The meeting addressed the theme of Marine Protected Areas (MPA) and took place under the presidency of HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco. The event gathered more than 140 participants representing international organizations, governments, academia, the private sector and NGOs.

HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco opened the meeting, stating that the MBI helped put MPAs on the international agenda. He stressed the role of MPAs as an effective tool against the threats facing the ocean, as well as their economic benefits.

In the first session, participants discussed how to collectively continue developing MPAs whilst ensuring their efficiency. The discussion highlighted the work carried out to clarify the classification system of MPAs. It also underlined the need for effective MPA management through regular financial resources and the gaps in knowledge in marine ecosystems.

In the second session, participants considered how coherent MPA networks contribute to protecting species, in particular the role of local communities’ knowledge and social skills. Discussions highlighted the importance of international cooperation for building ecological corridors, and coherence across jurisdictions to secure effective MPA networks.

Keynote speeches were delivered by:

• Brune Poirson, Secretary of State to the Minister for the Ecological and Inclusive Transition, France
• Karmenu Vella, European Commissioner for the Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries
• Chuanlin Huo, Deputy Director General of the Department of Marine Ecology and Environment, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, China

José Apolinario, Portuguese Secretary of State for Fisheries, underlined Portugal’s efforts to lead the race on MPAs in Europe and announced that the Second UN Ocean Conference will be held in Lisbon in June 2020. He also stressed the creation of a coalition of Portuguese stakeholders that brings knowledge and expertise upon which to design new MPAs.

Updates were also provided regarding several key current topics:

• Peggy Kalas, the High Seas Alliance, and Marco Lambertini Director General, WWF International, presented the work of the High Seas Alliance to foster an ambitious Treaty with a global mechanism to establish a network of MPAs in the high seas.
• Geneviève Pons, Jacques Delors Institute, presented the efforts of the Antarctica2020 platform to secure large MPAs in the Southern Ocean.
• Sabine Jessen, Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, and Dan Laffoley, IUCN, presented the outcomes of the last International Marine Protected Areas Congress (IMPAC4) and what is to be expected from the next edition in Vancouver, Canada.

François Simard, on behalf of Inger Andersen, Director General, IUCN, concluded the meeting by stressing that for MPAs to be effectively and equitably managed, more work needs to be done on: partnerships, connectivity aspects, and MPAs’ integration into the wider seascape and blue economy.

L-R: Vincent Meriton, Vice President of the Republic of Seychelles; Jane Lubchenco, Oregon State University; HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco; Brune Poirson, Secretary of State to the Minister for the Ecological and Inclusive Transition, France; Karmenu Vella, European Commissioner for the Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries; and Haydee Rodríguez, Vice Minister of Waters and Seas, Costa Rica

L-R: Romain Renoux, Association for sustainable financing of MPAs in the Mediterranean; Mark J. Spalding, Ocean Foundation and Commissioner of the Sargasso Sea Commission; Jane Lubchenco, Oregon State University; and François Houllier, Institut français de recherche pour l’exploitation de la mer

Jane Lubchenco, Oregon State University

François Houllier, Institut français de recherche pour l’exploitation de la mer

L-R: Karmenu Vella, European Commissioner for the Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries; Alexander Tudhope, University of Edinburgh; Puri Canals, Mediterranean Network of Marine Protected Areas; Olivier Laroussinie, Deputy delegate to the Sea and Coastline, Ministry for the Ecological & Inclusive Transition, France; Haydee Rodríguez, Vice-Minister of Waters and Seas, Costa Rica; Serge Planes, National Centre for Scientific Research, France; and Rachel Graham, MarAlliance

José María Figueres, Former President of Costa Rica and Co-Chair of Ocean Unite

Peter Thomson, UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy for the Ocean

L-R: Olivia Langmead, Plymouth University; Abdou Karim Sall, MPA Joal Fadiouth, Senegal; Maria Damanaki, The Nature Conservancy; Vincent Meriton, Vice President of the Republic of Seychelles; Mia Pantzar, Institute for European Environmental Policy; and Peter Herzig, GEOMAR

José Apolinario, Secretary of State for Fisheries, Portugal (photo courtesy of Cedou)

Chuanlin Huo, Deputy Director General of the Department of Marine Ecology and Environment, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, China (photo courtesy of Cedou)

L-R: Peggy Kalas, the High Seas Alliance; Genevieve Pons, Jacques Delors Institute; Marco Lambertini, Director General, WWF International; Sabine Jessen, Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society; and Dan Laffoley, International Union for the Conservation of Nature

Robert Calcagno, CEO, Oceanographic Institute, and Brune Poirson, Secretary of State to the Minister for the Ecological and Inclusive Transition, France

Marco Lambertini, Director General, WWF International