Marine Eco-Cleaning Operation

Protection of the environment is the aim of the mission of cleaning the Saint Nicolas Rocks, scheduled from 17 to 22 October and organized by the Department of Environmental affairs as part of its measures to protect marine biodiversity.

The principality is always involved in protecting in some way or another, the environment. Within the scope of its contribution to environmental affairs, at home, the Environmental department is organising a cleaning mission between the 17th and 22nd of October. Action speaks louder than words, so a team of 40 volunteers from all different departments of the Monegasque local environmental community, will clean up the Saint Nicolas Rocks, situated just outside the port of Fontvieille.

This small marine ecosytem, has a rich biodiversity, which needs to be taken care of, monitored and cleaned on a regular basis. The pollution is mainly from recreational fishing (fishing lines, nets and hooks), and thanks to the fact that there is a close eye kept on it, the operation is a successful one each time. The bigger waste products (tyres batteries, plastic and garbage), will be dealt with by a team of professional divers ‘Prodive’, who have experience in this kind of activity. The cleaning activities will be broken down into 2 different phases, of 3 days each.
This initiative is a great example that will hopefully be followed by the rest of the coastal regions in France and elsewhere in the world. It shows and proves that by doing regular committed work, one can preserve small marine ecosystems, and in some cases, recreate a damaged ecosystem.

The principal actors and volunteers involved over the next few days are from:

The Princes Carabiniers
The Monaco Firemen
The Maritime and Air Police corps
The management of Maritime affairs
The Scientific Centre of Monaco
L’Ecole Bleu
The Oceanographic Museum of Monaco
The Underwater exploration club of Monaco
The environmental protection society of Monaco