Month: October 2026

The Commonwealth Secretariat, in partnership with the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation and CAF, Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean, has launched the second call for proposals for the Commonwealth Blue Charter Incubator. The initiative, which opened on Monday 5th October, aims to accelerate practical ocean action by supporting innovative, country-led solutions to pressing marine challenges.

Under this new funding round, between 10 and 15 projects will receive grants of up to £50,000. These funds are designed to help Commonwealth nations develop and test initiatives tailored to national priorities across five key areas: marine pollution, ecosystem restoration, sustainable fisheries, the blue economy, and the ocean-climate nexus.

Strengthening global ocean collaboration

This round builds upon a partnership established in March 2026 between the Commonwealth Secretariat and the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation. The collaboration is structured to bridge the gap between high-level ambition and ground-level execution by engaging governments, local stakeholders, civil society, and technical experts.

“The transition towards a healthier and more sustainable ocean requires not only ambitious ideas, but the capacity to turn them into practical action. Through the Commonwealth Blue Charter Incubator, promising initiatives can be developed and strengthened, creating pathways for innovation to respond to concrete challenges facing the ocean and coastal communities,” said Romain Ciarlet, Vice-Chairman and CEO of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation. 

Building on the Apia Declaration and expanding partnerships

The Incubator directly supports the implementation of the Apia Commonwealth Ocean Declaration, which was adopted at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa in 2024. Its inaugural round successfully backed eight projects across Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, the Americas, and the Pacific.

Furthermore, this second call expands the initiative’s coalition by welcoming CAF as a partner alongside the Commonwealth Secretariat and the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, strengthening the backing for sustainable ocean development and blue finance.

Application details

Applications for Round II are now open and must be submitted via the online application form by 11th December 2026 at 23:59 GMT.

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Photo Credit: Commonwealth Secretariat

The Association Monégasque pour la Protection de la Nature (AMPN) gathered at Le Méridien Beach Plaza hotel on Thursday 8th October to present scientific evidence demonstrating that Monaco’s protected marine reserves are delivering major ecological recoveries. 

Marking 50 years of conservation since Prince Rainier III established the Principality’s coastal protection efforts, the conference unveiled long-term monitoring data showing a dramatic rise in fish populations across the Larvotto and Spélugues marine reserves.

Founded in 1975, the AMPN manages 35 hectares of protected littoral zone under strict enforcement where fishing and anchoring are banned. The 33-hectare Larvotto reserve, created in 1976, holds the distinction of being the first urban marine protected area in the world.

Fish biomass and nursery growth

According to a study published in the ICES Journal of Marine Science and presented by marine ecologist Dr Alexis Pey, Larvotto exhibits a striking ‘reserve effect’, boasting 2.5 times higher fish biomass than neighbouring unprotected waters. This strict level of protection has fostered continuous population growth for key species, including the brown meagre and dusky grouper.

Complementing adult fish tracking, Dr Eugenio Di Franco detailed nursery monitoring that recorded roughly 24,000 juvenile fish across 15 species in 2025, dominated by damselfish, saddled seabream, salema, and grey mullet. 

The initiative seeks to identify essential nursery habitats to adapt management practices and improve juvenile survival rates.

Seagrass health and world-first 3D reefs

The conference also addressed the long-term monitoring of Larvotto’s Posidonia oceanica seagrass meadow. Presented by Dr Heike Molenaar as the longest continuous tracking study of this habitat in the Mediterranean, recent assessments rated the meadow’s density as good, showing a stable to expanding trajectory since 2016.

Innovation remains central to the AMPN’s work. In 2017, in collaboration with the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, the organisation deployed 3D-printed artificial reefs made from natural dolomite sand—a world first in scale. The AMPN now oversees more than 40 artificial reefs, including six 3D-printed units, which today host over 40 fish species and roughly 100 encrusting organisms.

Under the direction of Jacqueline Gautier-Debernardi, the AMPN continues to combine strict enforcement with scientific research and educational outreach, including the management of an Educational Marine Area designed to engage local schoolchildren in marine conservation.

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Main photo credit: AMPN