Day: 11 July 2019

The public are invited to experience the Oceanographic Museum like they have never seen it before. For one unprecedented night, the museum will swing open its doors for an evening of discovery and adventure.

Armed with a torch, visitors will be able to wander through Monaco’s famous aquarium and museum, discovering coral reefs and over 6,000 specimens at nightfall.

The spectacular architecture of the museum will also be revealed through beams of torchlight, particularly the Salle des Conférences and the Salon d’Honneur.

Along the way, visitors can admire the imposing statue of Prince Albert I, founder of the Oceanographic Museum, and wonder in amazement at the fluorescent spectacle of the coral.

After an impressive encounter with a giant squid on the first floor, there’s an opportunity to explore the majestic Whale Room and confront the skeletons of sea mammals. Up on the roof-terrace, visitors will be spell-bound by the dark blue immensity of the Mediterranean sea, while a tasty refreshment will be served beneath the stars.

This one-of-a-kind experience will be offered by the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco as part of the ‘Just for You’ programme for guests staying at the Hôtel Métropole Monte-Carlo.

High school students who achieved excellent results in the 2019 baccalaureate have been received by the government of Monaco and a host of dignitaries during a special ceremony.

Minister of the Interior Patrice Cellario, together with Archbishop of Monaco Monsignor Barsi, Vice President of the National Council Brigitte Boccone-Pagès, Director of National Education, Youth and Sports Isabelle Bonnal, as well as senior personalities and high school principals of Principality High Schools, welcomed the 75 students who obtained the distinction ‘Très Bien’ at the Technical and Hotel High School.

“I am happy to celebrate your success and that of the Monegasque education system,” said Minister Patrice Cellario. “Do not forget that you are ambassadors and will become leaders in the area of your studies.”.

Mr. Cellario also acknowledged the “remarkable” standard of the graduates this year, and the number of students who obtained a ‘Bien’ or ‘Très Bien’ mention.

It was revealed last week that the overall success rate at the baccalaureate reached, in the first round, 96.8% for the general series, technological and professional, with 435 candidates and 321 mentions.

Repeated calls to action emerged as the overwhelming part of proceedings at the second edition of the 2019 Transition Forum in Monaco.

Under the rubric of ‘Shifting to Sustainable Lifestyles’, the two-day gathering brought together about 300 entrepreneurs, climate innovators, corporate executives, fund managers, scientists and representatives of civil society. The debates at the Fairmont Monte Carlo hotel on 26th and 27th June focused on four main themes: Food, Mobility, Production and Consumption, and Housing.

“We are building a unique community of key stakeholders who are not just talking about a sustainable future but taking concrete action to make it a reality,” said Lionel Le Maux, Chairman, Aqua Asset Management and Co-Founder of Transition Forum. “Time is our enemy, but if we are able to implement the solutions that we have heard about over these two days, if we are able to align value and price, then we will be able to take back our destiny and time will again be on our side.”

Over 60 international speakers presented innovative solutions and tackled the challenges of the transition towards a low-carbon future, including Monaco’s Minister of Finance and Economy Jean Castellini, Michelin-Star Chef Pierre Gagnaire, Entrepreneur and Author of The Blue Economy Gunter Pauli, and Johan Eliasch, founder of Cool Earth.

“The TRANSITION forum held in Monaco is a perfect example of the need to consider the ecological transition as a whole, and I am happy to be able to count on the Principality of Monaco, a neighbour with whom we collaborate very effectively,” said Christian Estrosi, Mayor of Nice, President of the Metropolis of Nice Cote d’Azur and Deputy Chairman of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Region, who delivered a keynote. “These recent exchanges allowed me to share the major principles of the metropolitan Territorial Climate Air and Energy Plan 2019-2025 and on the metropolitan environmental policy, developed with and for the inhabitants of the Metropolis which I am committed to accompanying on an eco-responsible path through ambitious measures and significant actions.

Representatives of around two dozen start-ups presented ground-breaking projects that covered everything from the prevention of food waste to the recycling of microplastics from the world’s oceans.

Debates recognised the need for tough choices, but an overall sense of optimism came shining through. This optimism is based on the commitment of the actors present and their achievements.

Many participants of the 2018 Transition Forum, who came back to report on progress made over the past year, highlighted the important role that the exchanges and meetings initiated during last year’s conference had to play in their achievements.

Over the two days, speakers and participants showed that preserving the environment and the economy are compatible. “The California model shows that the world can improve the viability of the economy while reducing carbon emissions,” said Timothy Papandreou, founder of Emerging Transport Advisors.

In 2016, an exceptional mortality rate among large pearls was recorded on the Spanish coast. By the end of 2018, it had spread to the French, Monegasque and Italian maritime zones. The Prince’s Government, with the help of numerous local institutions and international groups, initiated a series of actions for the preservation of the species, including an experimental breeding project for pearl larvae.

According to a report by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), a parasite infecting the digestive glands of large pearls is preventing them from functioning properly, effectively starving them.

Since June, the Environment Directorate and the Oceanographic Institute have been implementing a protocol to capture large nacres in the larval state, as they are carried by the Ligurian current. The larvae will be the subject of an experimental breeding project in order to be re-implanted in their natural environment, making it possible to study their level of resistance.

Five lines with 12 recovery bags have already been installed. The mesh of the bags optimises the chances of catching larvae in the current. These bags will then be brought to the surface between September and October, and carefully examined. If at least two centimeters of larvae have been recovered, they will be stored in the new Monegasque Marine Care Center for a period of about one year. They can develop there until they reach a sufficient size allowing them to be reintroduced in to their natural environment.

Under the leadership of the Environment Directorate, many institutions have come on board for the research and conservation project of the large pearls, including the Prince Albert II Foundation, the Scientific Centre of Monaco, the Oceanographic Institute, the Paul Ricard Oceanographic Institute, the Villefranche Sea Institute, the University of Nice Sophia Antipolis, and the Monegasque Association for the Protection of Nature (AMPN), which has been following the Larvotto nacre population for a long time.