Mediterranean 2050
Teaser Mediterranean 2050 Exhibition
Spread over more than 1000 sq m in the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco, the exhibition takes visitors of all ages on an odyssey through space and time to discover the Mediterranean from the past to an idealised future in a Marine Protected Area (MPA) teeming with life... provided we take the right decisions today.
In the past, the Mediterranean was a symbol of the progress of civilisation.
Today it is a symbol of the planet’s dysfunctions and tensions.
Tomorrow it must be the symbol of new solutions.
This exhibition is part of a major multiyear programme launched by the Oceanographic Institute to promote the protection of the Mediterranean, a unique yet fragile ecosystem. Home to more than 17,000 marine species – almost 7.5% of the world’s marine fauna and 18% of its flora – the sea is considered a biodiversity hotspot, but today it is under pressure. ‘Mediterranean 2050’ invites visitors to take stock of these challenges and explore solutions for preserving this heritage.
Through interactive and engaging displays, serious games and spectacular immersive simulations, visitors will discover the Principality of Monaco’s long commitment to the Mediterranean. They will also be able to visit the future, a Marine Protected Area (MPA) in the year 2050, to witness the benefits of achieving Target 30x30 (the protection of 30% of global land and oceans by 2030). A key message is that there is still time to act, with visitors led through ways they can take individual action and what public authorities, and the private sector can do.
THE OCEANOGRAPHIC INSTITUTE OF MONACO SETS THE COURSE FOR THE MEDITERRANEANThe largest inland sea in the world, the Mediterranean hosts ecosystems that exist nowhere else, but it is also particularly exposed to pollution, climate change and the overexploitation of resources. While 8.33% of its waters are currently classified as protected, only 0.04% have a management plan that ensures truly effective protection. With an unswerving focus on Target 30x30 (set out in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework adopted at the COP15 UN Biodiversity Conference in December 2022), the Oceanographic Institute is stepping up its actions and initiatives to raise awareness and rally all stakeholders – scientists, governments, the private sector and the general public – to identify the challenges, define priorities for action, and build a sustainable future for the Ocean. The aim is to bring together science, engagement and collective action to shape a Mediterranean where conservation and economic development can coexist. |
A SPACE-TIME ODYSSEY WITH 4 MAIN THEMES
As soon as visitors cross the threshold of the ‘Temple of the Sea’, they will be taken on a space–time exploration of the Mediterranean through luminous portals that allow them to pass from one universe and one era to another. Along their journey, visitors will have exceptional guides: cetaceans. These large marine mammals are emblematic of the bounty, beauty and grandeur of the Ocean. Each of the four main areas of the exhibition offers a unique immersive experience.
Oceanomania
Discover the history of the Mediterranean…
The odyssey begins in the Oceanomania hall, home to one of the world’s largest cabinets of marine curiosities. An impressive 4-m sperm whale sculpture greets visitors. A motion detection system activates the projection of information directly onto the sculpture, an innovative way to offer a captivating overview of the history of the Mediterranean and how it has changed over time.
This space highlights the natural and cultural wealth of this exceptional sea, the major oceanographic discoveries that have marked its exploration, and touches on some of the solutions necessary to protect it.
Oceano Monaco
Join the voyage with the princes of Monaco
committed to protecting the Mediterranean and the Ocean…
In Oceano Monaco, visitors are invited to retrace the past and present actions of the princes of Monaco to protect the marine world: from prince Albert I, a pioneer of modern oceanography, to prince Rainier III, whose political action for the Mediterranean has left a lasting legacy, to HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco, a fervent defender of the Ocean. Engaging visitors through interactive screens and a serious game,* this space offers a fresh look at the threats facing the Mediterranean and the practical solutions being developed to deal with them. This part of the exhibition will also highlight the many partners of the Principality of Monaco working alongside it to protect the Mediterranean at local, regional and international level.
Oceano Odyssey
Embark on ‘Mission Pelagos’ to encounter cetaceans…
In this area, visitors step aboard the Oceano Odyssey, a futuristic submersible bound for the Mediterranean seabed at the heart of the Pelagos Sanctuary in 2050. The target to protect 30% of global marine areas has been met, and the result lies before our eyes: a regenerated Mediterranean teeming with life. The immersion begins at the foot of the Oceanographic Museum, with a 310-sq-m projection system offering a 16-minute journey into diverse and thriving ecosystems, home to 30 emblematic species: loggerhead turtles, Neptune seagrass meadows, fin whales, swordfish, tuna, dusky groupers, sharks, sperm whales, sea fans, Risso’s dolphins, pilot whales, and more.
This spectacular scenography, made possible by state-of-the-art technology and a monumental projection system, plunges visitor–explorers into an ideal future where marine protection has resulted in restored biodiversity. The ultra-realistic virtual simulations of the underwater environments allow visitors to come face to face with the species that would be found in a well-managed Marine Protected Area. As members of the submarine’s crew, throughout the mission visitors can consult thematic displays* that delve into the details.
My Oceano Med
Take up the challenge to protect the Ocean!
After a dreamlike dive into a marine reserve, how can you not be inspired to take action? The final part of the exhibition, “My OCEANO Med”, encourages visitors to meet the challenge. On large interactive panels of three ecosystems (a seagrass meadow, coralligenous habitat and open water), visitors can choose a concrete individual action for marine conservation. Depending on this choice, projections show parallel actions public authorities, and the private sector can undertake, illustrating the importance of acting on all levels. These combined actions result in an interactive display of a healthy marine environment, a real-time impact on flora and fauna that makes the power of collective action tangible.
A web app extends the experience beyond the museum. Accessible by scanning a QR code that will be widely distributed (on posters, advertising, social networks, etc.), this interactive platform invites users to take up a series of challenges, some exclusive to the app. The app allows the user to create their own MPA, which transforms as the challenges are met, and the chance to enter a monthly prize draw with a host of prizes to win.
The data will be fed into an interactive panel in the exhibition, updating in real time the number of those supporting MPAs and the actions taken. This will highlight the power of change when citizens, businesses and institutions work together to protect the Mediterranean.