The 37th edition of World Festival of Underwater Pictures (http://www.underwater-festival.com), promoted by Daniel Mercier, was celebrated this year in the Palais du Pharo, in Marseille. Photographs, audiovisual material, films and books which have entered different competitions are all on exposition at the festival. Daniel, who has always approved the Medes Islands Marine Reserve’s experience, gave me the honour a few years ago of forming part of the Guides and Books Jury.
For this reason, a trip to France at the end of October is due every year, just to realize how bigger sensation the neighbour country’s marine activities create, and how many voluntaries help Daniel, year after year, in the organization of a festival of these characteristics.
The Festival also allows participation in debates like the“Forum pour l’Océan”, under the title: “L’évolution et la preservation de la biodiversité marine”. I would like to refer to the World Ocean Network’s (www.worldoceannetwork.org) intervention, emphasizing on the fact that marine reserves have to collaborate at a regional and worldwide level. An example would be the MEDPAN (www.medpan.org), focusing on the Mediterranean.
I would also like to make reference to Philippe Robert’s intervention. Robert in charge of the Port-Cros National Park for many years, and is actually head of international relations for the (www.aires-marines.fr) network. In his exposition, he bidded for PMA’s (Protected Marine Areas) as a tool for preservation and sustainable management of a natural environment which is submitted to many pressures and uses. To make his point clearer, he compared PMA to other institutions such as churches, banks, laboratories or schools.
