Paul Ricard Oceanographic Institute

The island is in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in South Western France.

Founded by Paul Ricard and Alain Bombard, the institute receives 25,000 visitors annually, and produces films and exhibitions to highlight marine life and issues.

An Urban Waste Treatment Plan for the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur coastline was inspired by a film made by the institute in 1980, Pollutions et nuisances sur le littoral méditerranéen.

[3] The institute helped develop a product to treat oil slicks in 1981, this was used on beaches in Alaska in 1989, and in 1995 the institute was awarded the Grand prix de l’Académie des Sciences for its work.

[3] The institute is currently studying the fin whale with the French branch of the World Wide Fund for Nature, and researching the quality of coastal waters, with the monitoring of underwater ecosystems within the Natura 2000 scheme.