Exploration schooner Tara arrived back in Lorient Saturday evening after a seven-month tour of the Mediterranean to track microplastic debris, resulting in some very instructive findings about the scale of this pollution, not only near the cities but also in the open sea.
After a voyage of 15,000 kilometers, the sailing ship was welcomed back to its home port by some one thousand people, according to Lorient Urban Area authorities, and also by Ecology Minister Ségolène Royal, on the occasion of the first day of the European Week for Waste Reduction.
"The first findings of the expedition are very instructive", said Gaby Gorsky, scientific director of the expedition, talking to AFP.
Back in France, Tara will continue with the actions to raise public awareness conducted during the expedition before heading for Paris in November and December 2015 to attend the world climate conference.
The main findings of the workshop-debates held during the expedition's stopovers will be outlined in a "Blue Book" to be unveiled in Monaco in March 2015 at the conference on "Plastics in the Mediterranean: beyond the facts, what solutions?" co-organized by the Foundation.
PROJECTS SUPPORTED
Environment and Biodiversity | France (Hérault) | 17/03/2014
Tara Expeditions
Scientific and awareness-raising mission on pollution by plastic and on the environmental challenges of the Mediterranean.
Environment and Biodiversity | France (Morbihan) | 2009/06/11
Tara Oceans
An unprecedented three-year scientific expedition on all the seas of the globe (understanding the spatial organisation of ecosystems and understanding their response to atmospheric viariations).