Context and project description

The Pelagos Sanctuary is a transboundary marine protected area spanning 87,500 km² across France, Monaco, and Italy. It is a hotspot of marine biodiversity, particularly for cetaceans, and one of the most plankton-rich areas in the Mediterranean.

Recognized as a SPAMI (Specially Protected Area of Mediterranean Importance), the sanctuary is under increasing pressure from human activities: tourism, cruise ships, port operations, and maritime traffic—all of which significantly impact marine ecosystems.

Main Objective

In this context, the Adapt-Pelagos project aims to strengthen operational capacity and foster tangible solutions for a more sustainable blue economy in the area. It also seeks to build stakeholder expertise through a series of thematic workshops that promote the exchange of best practices and the development of tools tailored to the sanctuary’s challenges.

Launched in April 2024 for a three-year period, Adapt-Pelagos is coordinated by Plan Bleu, with support from the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation and ADEME. The project contributes directly to the priorities of the Pelagos Management Plan 2022–2027, particularly under the following themes:

• Pelagos against pollution
• Slow tourism

Key Issues Addressed

• Sustainability of cruise and recreational boating
• Sustainable tourism, climate change adaptation, and Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM)
• Marine Protected Areas and carrying capacity
• Development of sustainability indicators for the blue economy

Planned Activities

The project will deliver four workshops addressing the major human-related challenges in the sanctuary:
(i) Cruise and recreational boating, (ii) Sustainable tourism, (iii) Carrying capacity and Marine Protected Areas, (iv) Blue economy indicators

Each workshop will include: (i) Identification of needs and existing best practices within the sanctuary, (ii) An interactive session to foster stakeholder engagement and knowledge sharing, (iii) A collaborative session to co-develop sustainability indicators for the blue economy (based on the RACER methodology)

Expected results

• 4 workshop reports outlining key recommendations
• A shared database of best practices and practical tools for stakeholders
• Integration of new indicators into the Plan Bleu Observatory and the work of the Barcelona Convention
• A synthesis note on monitoring and evaluating the blue economy