PELAGOS SANCTUARY
Three Countries, one goal
To ensure a favourable conservation status of marine mammals by protecting them
and their habitats from direct or indirect negative impacts of human activities
ABOUT US
A cross-border Sanctuary for the saveguard of marine biodiversity
On the 25th of November 1999, the Pelagos Agreement was signed in Rome by France, Italy and the Principality of Monaco.
Having come into effect on February 21th 2002, the main role of the Pelagos Agreement is to promote harmonised actions and management measures for the protection of cetaceans and their habitats against all causes of human-induced disturbance and mortality (e.g., pollution, noise, accidental capture, injury, etc).
SPECIES
8 species of whales and dolphins live in the Sanctuary on a regular basis
and the monk seal can be spotted occasionally
The marine mammals of the Sanctuary have their particular lifestyle and habits and socially interact in different ways.
Striped dolphin
Bottlenose dolphin
Common dolphin
Cuvier’s beaked whale
Risso’s dolphin
Long-finned pilot whale
SPERM whale
Fin whale
Monk seal
GET INVOLVED
The Pelagos Sanctuary belongs to everyone.
Get involved to protect marine mammals and their habitat
GET INVOLVED
The Pelagos Sanctuary belongs to everyone.
Get involved to protect marine mammals and their habitat
NEWS
The Pelagos Agreement is now an Official Partner of UNEP-MAP
The application submitted by the Pelagos Agreement to be officially partner with the UNEP-MAP Barcelona Convention was approved...
Donation from the French Department of Maritime-Alpes
The Pelagos Agreement expresses all it gratitude towards the French Department of Maritime-Alpes for its generously donation to the “Pelagos Voluntary Fund”.
SAVE THE DATE – 9th Meeting of the Parties
The 9th Meeting of the Parties to the Pelagos Agreement (MoP9) will be held on the 25th and 26th of January 2024 in France.
A 13 metres whale of lights to raise awareness on the Pelagos Sanctuary
From the 7th of December 2023 and for 3 months, a 13-meter installation depicting a whale of lights, named “Aurora" and created by the artist Thomas Monin, is going to light up the Rainier III Nautical Stadium on the Harbour of Monaco.
Call for application for the selection of a consultant to support the Permanent Secretariat
The Pelagos Agreement is pleased to announce the publication of a call for application for the selection of a consultant...
Side event at the closing of the 15th STC
On September 12th 2023, closing the 15th STC, an informative side event on projects of interest to the Pelagos Agreement and to the Particularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA) was held.
The Pelagos Sanctuary strengthens its commitment against ship-whale collisions
On June 16, 2025, the Pelagos Sanctuary took part in the 1st International Workshop on Ship-Whale Collisions, held in Brest (France) as part of the OCEANS 2025 conference.
Pelagos celebrates 25 years of international cooperation at UNOC3 in Nice
The Pelagos Sanctuary took part in the third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3), the most significant global event dedicated to ocean protection, held in Nice from June 9 to 13.
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Photos credits :
©S. Brouder – Tethys
©Cima Research Foundation
©L. Gordigiani – Tethys
©Juliette Dedet – MIRACETI
© Maurizio Würtz – Coll. Institut océanographique, Fondation Albert Ier, Prince de Monaco
© M. Würtz -Artescienza
