The Sanctuary

The Ligurian Sea Cetacean Sanctuary is a protected area of the Ligurian Sea that boasts many whales and other cetaceans. It was instituted in 1999 in a pact between France (Cote d’Azur and Corsica), Principality of Monaco and Italy (Liguria, Tuscany and Sardinia). This pact is listed in the special protection areas of the Barcelona Convention and is therefore upheld by all countries of the Mediterranean.
Also known simply as Cetacean Sanctuary, the area covers approximately 100,000 km of national and international waters where, thanks to environmental protection, the cetaceans can count on an ideal environment for their food chain.

The Pelagos Sanctuary for Mediterranean Marine Mammals has a population of about 2000 between fin whales and sperm whales, 30,000 between dolphins, bottlenose dolphins and common dolphins; and yet raspberries, zifi and pilot whales as well as occasional minke whales, humpback whales, killer whales and pseudorcas that find in these waters the necessary conditions both for the supply of food and for reproduction.
Given the high presence of cetaceans in the Ligurian Sea, it is therefore essential to safeguard their habitat; this is also carried out by the terrestrial and marine protective areas bordering this stretch of sea which contribute to regulating those activities, such as nautical traffic, fishing and tourism, which could potentially cause damage or disturbance to marine mammals.