Pelagos: a sanctuary for cetaceans off the coast of Monaco

The Pelagos Sanctuary is a maritime area covering 87,500 km², and is the subject of an agreement between Italy, Monaco and France. Its purpose is to protect marine mammals in the Mediterranean.

On 25 November 1999, the Pelagos Agreement, which created a sanctuary for marine mammals in the Mediterranean, was signed in Rome by France, Italy and the Principality of Monaco. The three countries were keen to take joint action to protect cetaceans from disruption caused by human activities: noise pollution, risks of collision with commercial shipping, tourist activities and plastic pollution.

The existence of the RAMOGE environmental protection treaty, signed by the three countries in 1976, facilitated the creation of the Pelagos Sanctuary. The RAMOGE Agreement (which takes its name from the initial letters of Saint-Raphaël, Monaco and Genoa, the coastal cities marking the boundaries of the area covered) was initiated by Prince Rainier III.

The Monaco Prince had proposed creating a pilot area to combat marine pollution, coordinated by the three nations which border the zone.