From Thursday 13 to Friday 21 September, as part of the application to have the "Mediterranean Alps" included on UNESCO's world heritage list, two experts - a geologist and a naturalist - came to see the eight sites that make up the candidate area, which extends across borders.
The experts visited the Mercantour National Park, the Alpi Marittime Park, the Marguareis and Liguria Parks, the Departmental Park of the Grande Corniche, the Pointe des Douaniers in Cap d’Ail, the marine site off Monaco, Cap Ferrat and Cap Martin, the Luceram Bouma sequence, and the Peille-Peillon fault.
In Monaco, on 17 September, i they attended a presentation on the protection and integrity of the different sites on land and at sea.
The project partners committed all their energies to ensuring the on-site evaluation process went as smoothly as possible.
Following feedback from this assessment, the final application will be submitted and a definitive response will be given during the 43rd session of the World Heritage Committee to be held in Baku, Azerbaijan, from 30 June to 10 July 2019.
In the meantime, there are still several steps to be taken in order to finalise the exact perimeter and management of this cross-border area, which uniquely encompasses both onshore and offshore sites, with important geological assets of high value.
The Principality's support for the application reflects its commitment to forging ahead with its policies for the Mediterranean Alps in terms of the environment and sustainable development.
*The perimeter of this area, both on land and sea, lies at the meeting of the western Mediterranean and t he Italian peninsula, at the southern end of the Alpine range, between the French
départements of Alpes-Maritimes and Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, in south-eastern France, and the Piedmont and Liguria regions of north-western Italy. Monaco is concerned by the marine part of the area.