Page 84 - Livre_MOW2024_EN

82 | SHARING SCIENTIFIC PROGRESS

MONACO EXPLORATIONS
Indian Ocean expedition:

final report on the horizon

As part of Monaco Ocean Week, the advisory committee of the Indian Ocean

expedition, undertaken by Monaco Explorations in October and November 2022,
met at the Oceanographic Museum on 19 March 2024 alongside lead researchers
from the mission and representatives from the Seychelles and Mauritius.

The aim of this meeting between committee members, Next, Carl Gustav Lundin, Chair of the Expedition
lead researchers and representatives from the Advisory Committee, invited the individual project
Seychelles, Mauritius and Monaco was both scientific leaders, all from prestigious research institutions, to
and diplomatic: to give an update on how research is take the floor. They presented the conclusions of
progressing and confirm the publishing schedule for their legal research and scientific studies since the
the findings and final report, which is expected by the interim report was published. Committee members
governments of France, the Seychelles and Mauritius were particularly interested in the results of studies
in December 2025. conducted around the Saya de Malha Bank.

After welcome remarks by the Director of Monaco
Explorations, Xavier Prache, Bernard Georges,
Chairman of the Seychelles Islands Foundation, and
Dass Bissessur, Director of the Hydrocarbon/Mineral PROFILE
Exploration Unit of Mauritius, stressed their countries’
keen interest in the expedition and its findings. This 2-month expedition covered 18,500 kilometers and saw
They expressed their hopes that it would lead to an international team of researchers set sail on one of the largest
conservation efforts and sustainable management research vessels in service, SA Agulhas II, on loan from the South
practices for the entire South-west Indian Ocean African government. The research conducted in the Western
region. One of the aims of the expedition, in addition Indian Ocean focused on the Saya de Malha Bank, located on the
to advancing and widely disseminating research on Mascarene Plateau, the Aldabra Atoll and St Brandon archipelago.
a little-explored region, is to provide governments
and policy-makers with robust scientific data on the
health of the region’s waters, with a special focus on
the Saya de Malha Bank, a jointly governed area in IN
the high seas. FIGURES

■ 8 international research programmes on board,
■ 150 participants from 20 different countries,
■ 1,000 species collected,
■ 150 articles in the national and international press,
■ 500 visitors welcomed on board during stopovers.