Charter to save Côte's endangered flippers

Dolphins in Antibes' Marineland © Arnaud

On Monday, the various towns that make up the Urban Community of Nice Côte d'Azur signed the Pelagos Sanctuary, a marine charter that will give greater protection to mammals and porpoises in the Mediterranean Sea.

The new Marine Protected Area (MPA), which runs from the Côte d'Azur to the north of Sardinia, will mean sea species and their natural habitat will be better preserved and is the first of many sections of the French coastline where potentially damaging activities are set to be limited.

The Côte's waters are home to a multitude of marine life including the rare fin and sperm whales and a variety of types of dolphin.

Prior to becoming an MPA, under the UN's 'Specially Protected Areas of Mediterranean Importance' (SPAMI), the territorial waters in the South of France have always been a breeding and feeding ground for the cetacean species (whales and dolphins) regularly found in the Mediterranean Sea.

But the future survival of the species in the region - in the midst of increasing sea pollution, tuna fishing etc - has been becoming less and less certain. This charter allows local authorities to increase their action against those guilty of polluting the waters or doing anything else that threatens dolphins and whales.

Other specific conservation objectives of the charter require all individuals and collectives, including local interest groups and businesses, to work towards increasing public awareness of marine wildlife and habitats and doing what they can to look after, and not damage, the sea.

The communities that have signed the charter include Hyères les Palmiers, Antibes Juan-Les-Pins, Cavalaire, la Corse, Galeria, Barrettali, Corbara, and Nice Côte d’Azur.

AA