After 2009: a new strategy for a more comprehensive approach

In 2009, the RAMOGE Commission refined and clarified its strategy by identifying three areas of action which, through a cross-cutting approach, enable it to address the growing challenges of sustainable management of the Mediterranean coastline.

The first area of action focuses on strengthening public awareness of marine environmental protection through the development of new communication tools: events and conferences for the general public; the production and dissemination of resource materials and best practice guidelines for experts and sea users; participation in specialized training programs, including advanced maritime studies; and workshops and outreach activities for schools and public events. In addition, an international photography competition, “RAMOGE – The Man and the Sea,” was launched in 2016, open to amateur and professional photographers worldwide, with the aim of promoting greater environmental awareness through imagery.

The second area focuses on the prevention of and response to pollution (RAMOGEPOL Plan): annual full-scale exercises and OSCAR-MED operations; ongoing testing and development of detection and sampling methods for pollutants, beyond hydrocarbons alone; and the promotion of cooperation between prosecutors in the region to strengthen legal action against polluters.

The third area focuses on the integrated management of coastal zones: monitoring of emblematic heritage species as well as non-native species, in collaboration with diving clubs; enhanced annual monitoring of Ostreopsis ovata since 2010; a guide for local authorities on waste reduction published in 2021; a study on the impact of cruise ships and large recreational vessels in the same year, which became a reference document for the “Sustainable Cruise” charter established by France in 2023; and, most notably, a major new initiative since 2015, deep-sea exploration campaigns. These campaigns focus on deep environments located close to the coastline within the RAMOGE area, which remain largely unexplored, following in the footsteps of the expeditions led by Prince Albert I of Monaco. They enable the study and assessment of the health of the rich biodiversity found in these deep-sea zones.

RAMOGE conference at the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco during Monaco Ocean Week, focused on the conservation and restoration of Posidonia, bringing together leading scientists from the three countries of the Agreement. From left to right: Frédéric Villers, Dr Christine Pergent, and Jamila Poydenot. Photograph, March 22, 2024. © Olivier Huitel-FPA2. RAMOGE Archives

“Fishing with Net” (Albenga, in front of Gallinara Island), by Stefano Maccari, RAMOGE International Photography Competition “The Man and the Sea” 2022, 3rd prize in the RAMOGE area category. RAMOGE Archives.

“Offshore in the deep blue Mediterranean, this juvenile wreckfish has found temporary shelter” (Nice), by Magali Boussion, RAMOGE International Photography Competition “The Man and the Sea,” 2020, RAMOGE area category. The wreckfish (Polyprion americanus) is a species of grouper whose juveniles live offshore and seek refuge beneath drifting floating objects. RAMOGE Archives.

Award ceremony of the RAMOGE International Photography Competition “The Man and the Sea” 2024, at the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco, with Greg Lecoeur at the podium, in the presence of Riccardo Busi, President of the International Federation of Photographic Art, photograph by Frédéric Pacorel, February 26, 2025. RAMOGE Archives. © Oceanographic Institute of Monaco.

Awareness flyer on the toxic microalga Ostreopsis ovata in the Mediterranean, designed to help identify its blooms at sea and inform the public about the potential health effects of its toxins, 2015. RAMOGE Archives.

Publication on the study of the impacts of large yachts and cruise ships, 4 vols., 2021, and supplement, 2022, cover of vol. 1. RAMOGE Archives.

Guide on waste reduction for local authorities, cover, 2021. RAMOGE Archives.

Public awareness poster on marine litter, 2017–2018. RAMOGE Archives.

Guides on safety procedures to follow in the event of discovering historical munitions at sea in the RAMOGE area, 2025. RAMOGE Archives.

Meeting in Toulon of prosecutors from the RAMOGE area following a RAMOGEPOL exercise, to discuss judicial responses to air pollution from ships: Michel Sastre, First Deputy Prosecutor of Marseille, Emmanuelle Carniello, Deputy Prosecutor General of Monaco, and Paolo d’Ovidio, Deputy Prosecutor of Genoa (discussion led by Paul Giraud, Professor of Private Law at the University of Poitiers). Photograph, May 11, 2023. RAMOGE Archives.

Participation of diving clubs in monitoring marine species, in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin (Nice-Matin, August 5, 2024), Monaco (photograph, August 2024), and Menton (photograph by Clara Fricano, 2025, divers observing a Posidonia seagrass meadow). RAMOGE Archives and Nice-Matin Archives. All rights reserved.

“Mediterranean Fish” (Saint-Raphaël, Cap Roux), by Sylvain Roblet, RAMOGE International Photography Competition “The Man and the Sea” 2022, RAMOGE area category. In this marine protected area, two brown meagres (Sciaena umbra) and a dusky grouper (Epinephelus marginatus) swim among Swallowtail seaperch (Anthias anthias) and damselfish (Chromis chromis). These large Mediterranean predators are emblematic native species, indicators of a healthy ecosystem, but are threatened by human pressures; they are therefore monitored as part of the RAMOGE citizen science program. RAMOGE Archives.

Blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) and its distribution map in the Mediterranean (based on scientific sources up to 2024). An invasive species native to the American coasts, introduced through maritime traffic, it spreads rapidly, with significant ecological impact (high predation) and economic consequences (damage to fishing nets). Its consumption is encouraged in areas where it is abundant. RAMOGE Archives.

Lionfish (Pterois miles) and its distribution map in the Mediterranean (based on scientific sources up to 2024). A species originating from the Red Sea via the Suez Canal, it is gradually expanding. A venomous predator, dangerous to humans and local species, with few natural predators, its consumption is encouraged in order to limit its spread. RAMOGE Archives.