Deadline: 21-May-23
The Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation is accepting applications for Pelagos Initiative.
The Pelagos initiative was launched in 2021 by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation (FPA2), the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Mediterranean Network of Protected Areas Marine Protected Areas (MedPAN). This partnership between key actors of civil society in the Mediterranean finances activities for the protection, conservation and promotion of the Sanctuary, in order to support the implementation of the management plan of the Pelagos Agreement, established by the three countries responsible for the Sanctuary: France, Italy and Monaco.
In addition to ecosystem protection, the restoration of degraded habitats, including so-called “blue carbon” ecosystems such as Posidonia meadows, can be part of climate change adaptation and mitigation measures. More recently, the interest of preserving large marine mammals such as whales to fight against climate change has been highlighted. A whale can sequester up to 33 tonnes of CO2 over its lifetime, and the average value of a whale in terms of ecosystem services has been estimated at $2 million.
Themes of the ‘Climate’ call for projects of the Pelagos Initiative
These may be knowledge acquisition projects, conservation and restoration measures, lobbying/advocacy or awareness-raising, for example:
- Awareness:
- Analysis of the blue carbon potential of cetaceans and/or the habitats of the Sanctuary (eg mapping, evaluation/quantification/certification methodology);
- Study of the impacts of climate change on the populations of marine mammals and their habitats within the Pelagos sanctuary.
- Conservation and restoration measures:
- Protection of marine mammals (eg geolocation of whales by acoustics or artificial intelligence to avoid collisions, measures to avoid accidental captures);
- Reduction of the impact of maritime traffic (eg speed limitation, use of alternative fuels);
- Reduction of other stressors, eg noise pollution, to increase resilience to climate change;
- Protection or restoration of ecosystems in the Sanctuary, such as Posidonia meadows (for example, installation of ecological moorings).
- Lobbying/advocacy:
- Analysis and advocacy for the reduction of overfishing, bycatch and destructive fishing, such as bottom trawling;
- Analysis and advocacy around toxic subsidies.
- Sensitization:
- Development of tools and actions to raise awareness of climate change issues and potential solutions in the Pelagos Sanctuary;
- Development of tools and actions to raise awareness of blue carbon issues in the Pelagos Sanctuary.
Funding Information
- The grant requested must be between €100,000 and €300,000;
- The average duration of the projects will be 3 years;
Eligibility Criteria
The coordination committee will select the projects according to the criteria below:
- The projects must be consistent with the themes of the call for projects above;
- Projects that contribute to the implementation of the management plan of the Pelagos Agreement (2022-2027) will be given priority;
- Projects must be located within the Pelagos Sanctuary. Priority will be given to regional cooperation projects covering at least 2 signatory countries of the Agreement;
- Priority will be given to projects with measurable results in terms of mitigation and adaptation;
- Priority will be given to projects with a local community involvement approach;
- Priority will be given to projects led by consortia wishing to create synergies (between countries, between MPAs, between themes, between actors, etc.);
- The funding granted should not exceed 75% of the total budget (projects with a minimum co-funding of 25% will be given priority);
- Start of project activities: first quarter of 2024.
For more information, visit Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation (FPA2).