• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Français
Press
  • Home
  • Institute
    • Mediterranean species
      Annular seabream
      Axinella sponge
      Black scorpionfish
      Black seabream
      Black sea cucumber
      Black sea urchin
      Blacktailed wrasse
      Blotched picarel
      • About
      • › In brief
      • › Global advocacy
      • › 50+ years of history
      • The Team
      • › Organisation
      • The Aquarium
      • › About the aquarium
      • › Practical information
      • › Mediterranean species
      • › Mediterranean biotopes
      • A site in nature
      • › Les Embiez island
      • The Association
      • › Board of directors
      • › Honorary committee
      • › Become a member
  • Research
    • Research Programmes
      LIFE Pinnarca
      MaCoBios
      Posidonia oceanica seagrass m [...]
      New Innovative Feed for Susta [...]
      Environmental DNA (eDNA)
      Ich.T.O.
      Podestat
      Integrated multi-trophic aqua [...]
      • › Research programmes
      • › Research Center
      • › Scientific Communication
      • › International Cooperation
      • › Take OFF, Take Ocean For Future
  • Outreach
    • Environmental issues
      Climate
      Biodiversity
      Nature-based solutions
      Living resources
      Governance
      The Mediterranean, a model ocean
      • › Popular science
      • › Newsletter
      • › Media Library
      • › Press review
      • › Environmental issues
 › Articles › Sailors: Don’t forget to get DONIA on board !

Sailors: Don’t forget to get DONIA on board !

Modified on : 24 Feb 2021

With DONIA, a free application to download, you can choose anchorages with low impact on the ecosystems, in particular on the Posidonia oceanica seagrass meadows. 

Developed by Andromède Océanologie, in partnership with the Rhône-Méditerranée-Corse water board, this application aims to provide a tool to enhance both safety and eco-responsibility: the information it provides means that sailors can choose their anchorage according to the meteorological conditions and above all according to the characteristics of the seabed nearby. It enables them to anchor safe in the knowledge that they will not damage the most fragile ecosystems, in particular the Posidonia oceanica seagrass beds. This as we know is a protected species, but it is in constant decline at many sites. Since last year, its preservation has had the support of several decrees by the French coastal authority, the Préfecture Maritime, focused on controlling anchorages, in particular for larger vessels.

Preserving and sharing

The basic version, completely free of charge and available for smartphones and pads, provides access to accurate marine charts with a wealth of information added, such as diving sites, the nearest harbour, places of interest, fishing regulations in force, and more. The application also enables users to share useful information on possible dangers encountered at sea (obstacles, accidents, jellyfish, SOS alerts, etc.), or to share personal observations by posting pictures, for instance. 

There is too a Premium version, for a fee, for those who want to make use of additional services such as alerts for anchor dragging, entangling or collisions, or recording the route sailed, measuring distances or setting a new course.

Seagrass meadows: now more precious than ever

While the role of seagrass meadows as nurseries and priviledged habitats for numerous species is well known, they are too providers of oxygen and capable of storing carbon. And they are excellent stabilisers for the seabed, and the banks of dead leaves that reappear every winter on our beaches, far from being just rubbish, are a vital rampart against erosion by the waves. In a context of global change and the erosion of the coastline,  the seagrasses are more precious than ever.

Link to the site application website

Tweet
Share
Share
0 Shares

Primary Sidebar

Lastest news

The Paul Ricard Oceanographic Institute’s agenda at UNOC3 in Nice

› Published on : 30 May 2025

Launch of the Côte d’Azur Fisheries and Aquaculture Local Action Group (FLAG)

› Published on : 27 May 2025

From International Women’s Rights Day to World Ocean Day!

› Published on : 7 March 2025

A fish hatchery inaugurated in Mbodiène to make aquaculture an industry of the future

› Published on : 13 February 2025

More news
Institut océanographique Paul Ricard
Île des Embiez - 83140 Six-Fours-les-Plages
Tél. +33 (0)4 94 34 02 49
  • › Partners
  • › Press
  • › Sitemap
  • › Terms & Conditions
  • › Privacy Policy
  • › Cookies Policy
  • › Credits