An undertaking that all of us Capri residents should be proud of, a project that captures the state of health of the Mediterranean with unprecedented precision and accuracy.
M.A.R.E.'s 2025 mission, recently completed right on schedule according to the ambitious roadmap, marks the end of the first four-year cycle and the complete mapping of the Mediterranean.
Since its inception, the project's objectives have included monitoring persistent pollutants, trace metals, and marine species at risk or lacking data, as well as welcoming international researchers with dedicated projects on board. Over the years, M.A.R.E. has established itself as a traveling scientific laboratory, capable of combining research, environmental education, and collaboration between public bodies, foundations, and private individuals.
"The M.A.R.E. project represents a virtuous model of alliance between sailing, scientific research, and education," comments Paolo Bordogna, President of the Centro Velico Caprera Foundation, "and has been able to combine the values of Centro Velico Caprera its environmental commitment with those of our partners. This edition was particularly challenging: 1,950 miles of perimeter for 10 weeks of sailing through two countries, often in very strong wind conditions. We managed to complete the perimeter perfectly on schedule and according to plan, which speaks to our organizational skills and uncommon seafaring expertise: the same skills we bring to bear in running our school."
Ginevra Boldrocchi, scientific coordinator of the project, comments on the results achieved:
"The data collected during the M.A.R.E. 2025 mission once again confirms the scientific value of this project: over 80 individuals sighted, 10 environmental DNA samples, 54 zooplankton samples, and 52 acoustic recordings represent a valuable basis for the analyses
that will follow. This edition concludes the first cycle of an ambitious project: for the first time, we will have access to up-to-date data, collected in a uniform manner across almost the entire Mediterranean. After years of fragmented and difficult-to-compare information, this will allow us to accurately understand the current level of pollution in our sea, filling an important gap in scientific literature. This result has been made possible thanks to the synergistic and constant work carried out over the last four years in the areas of research, monitoring, and awareness raising.
With his gaze already fixed on the future, Enrico Bertacchi, Secretary General of Centro Velico Caprera, comments: "Confirming the team of partners that made M.A.R.E. possible is now a strategic priority: it is only thanks to the shared commitment of scientific bodies, foundations, partners, and institutions that we can look forward with confidence to a second, even more ambitious four-year cycle. In the last few weeks of sailing, we had scientific personnel from the Navy and Coast Guard on board: we are extremely grateful to them and to Shiseido, Yamamay, Fondazione Deutsche Bank, Toio, and Workness Club, whose commitment has made this project possible."
