The Agoa Sanctuary supports Green Marine Europe

The Agoa Sanctuary supports Green Marine Europe

As a marine protected area dedicated to the protection of marine mammals in the French West Indies, the Agoa Sanctuary supports Green Marine Europe (GME) certification.

The cohabitation of cetaceans and maritime traffic is an important issue for the Sanctuary, particularly in view of the risks of collisions and disturbances linked, for example, to underwater noise.

Support for GME is part of the ‘collision’, ‘noise pollution’ and ‘contaminants and waste’ strategies in the Sanctuary's 2023-2037 management plan. In this way, the Agoa Sanctuary's interest in GME reflects a desire to develop collaboration with shipowners and to promote companies wishing to become involved in cetacean conservation.

GME, an incentive for cetacean conservation

Certification provides an incentive to comply with current regulations and encourages the adoption of more environmentally-friendly practices through its various criteria and levels. For example, the certification and promotion of companies encourages compliance with the REPCET® software, a system designed to reduce the risk of collisions between ships and cetaceans, which is compulsory for certain categories of ships in the Agoa Sanctuary in the West Indies and the Pelagos Sanctuary in the Mediterranean.

Improving the effectiveness of the REPCET® system: an example with the Grand Maritime de Guadeloupe

In order to improve the efficiency of the REPCET® system, imposed by the decree of 11 December 2017 and the law for the Reconquest of Biodiversity of Nature and Landscapes of 1 July 2016, the Agoa Sanctuary and the Grand Port Maritime de la Guadeloupe have signed an agreement in which the GPMG undertakes to finance a data gateway between the participatory science application OBSenMer and the REPCET® software. Sightings of large cetaceans reported by users in OBSenMer will then be transmitted in real time to REPCET®-equipped vessels concerned by the risk of collision. This action will contribute to improving risk reduction. Vessels not subject to the REPCET® obligation will also be able to participate by sending their observation data via OBSenMer, an action that can be valued at level 3 of the certification on the ‘underwater noise’ criterion.

The AVEC Agoa programme

To encourage shipping companies to get involved in participatory science, the Agoa Sanctuary is launching the AVEC Agoa (Shipowner Voluntarily Committed to the Cetaceans of the Agoa Sanctuary) programme via a data-sharing agreement for shipowners reporting their cetacean sightings or wishing to do so.

Shipping and cetaceans: an information booklet available in 2025

A booklet for the shipping industry is also being finalised. It aims to raise awareness of the issue of shipping and cetaceans in the Agoa Sanctuary, and provides keys to identifying species and reducing their impact. It will be available in French and English in 2025.