Just what has Bernard Georges been doing in Monaco?

• Bernard Georges

Just what has Bernard Georges been doing in Monacvo, you may well ask.

Since taking up the chairmanship of the Seychelles Island Foundation, which steers Aldabra and the Vallee de Mai, Maitre Georges has been showing up quite a bit of his Conservationist penchant.

Last week he took a timely break from the National Assembly to explore partnership and collaboration possibilities with the Principality of Monaco, with a keen eye for generating financial support for various projects.

As he explained to me the rationale: “The Monaco Indian Ocean Expedition which took place in October-November 2022, was a collaborative effort which included Seychelles and Monaco.

Aldabra was one of the highlights of the expedition and nearly 100 scientists from Monaco, France, Seychelles, Reunion, Mauritius explored the Aldabra Atoll.

During their week-long stay, five research themes were investigated, from the vessel, and on land, by more than 25 scientists including 3 staff from SIF and 2 associate researchers.

Research included collection of plastic litter and microplastic for the study of pathogenic germs on the reefs, the study of turtle populations, the mapping of the shallow lagoon waters or the inventory of biodiversity using connected boards and drones by IFREMER teams.

A team from the Zoological Society of London, in collaboration with SIF collected coral samples for DNA analysis, carried out video inventories of the underwater fauna and flora up to 700 meters of depth through the use of a remotely operated robot, a first in Aldabra.

The biggest research component of the expedition is the Noah’s Ark for corals. Coral colonies of Aldabra have spearheaded the creation of the world coral conservatory.

While, more than 1 billion people directly benefit from coral reef resources—for food and as a source of income through fishing and tourism—global warming of 2 degrees Celsius could lead to the loss of all coral reefs by 2100.

To preserve a representative set of corals in aquaria, the Scientific Center of Monaco and the Oceanographic Institute, Albert I of Monaco Foundation initiated this critical effort.

After extensive discussions, Seychelles consented to allow Aldabra, which serves as an environmental baseline for 406 of the 427 coral species found in the Indian Ocean, to be the primary site for coral collection.

 The results and new opportunities arising therefrom was to be presented and discussed.