THURSDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2010 | 5THE GLOBAL EDITION OF THE NEW YORK TIMES. . . .

ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT

J ust about anywhere else on the planet,high-rise hotels, country clubs androwdy bars would line this stretch of

coast. But Mauritania’s Banc d’Arguin Na-tional Park is anything but typical. This is thewestern end of the Sahara, where the unre-lenting desert tumbles into the sea, a patchof Atlantic notorious as the birthplace of hur-ricanes and the last resting spot of many ill-fated ships.

But for those who crave a seashore withsolitude, Banc d’Arguin is nirvana. Therearen’t many equatorial beaches where theonly footprints in the sand were made by fer-al camels, where the offshore waters are asunpolluted as they were 100 years ago, and

where the only human touch is a handful oftiny fishing villages.

While splendid isolation is the park’sprimary allure, it is also the biggest impedi-ment to visiting. Mauritania attracts very fewforeign visitors. As a result, tourist servicesin the sparsely populated West African na-tion are few and far between. For those withdeep pockets, lots of time and experiencedriving in deep-desert conditions, hiring afour-wheel-drive vehicle in Nouakchott (thecapital) is the easiest way to reach and ex-plore the mainland parts of Banc d’Arguin.Anyone who opts for this do-it-yourself ap-proach will need to outfit themselves withfood, fuel, drinking water, GPS and other

necessities — as well as entry permits fromthe national park service — in Nouakchott.

From the capital, it’s about a 250-kilome-ter (155-mile) drive northward along a goodpaved road to the park’s southern boundary.Because the highway slants inland, reachingthe coast requires a rough-and-tumble tra-verse of unpaved desert roads. The mostpopular is probably the 36-kilometer routefrom Chami (where there is a gas station) toArkeiss, which lies about midway along thepark’s 180-kilometer stretch of shoreline.

Accommodation inside the park is atsanctioned community ‘‘lodges’’ with per-manent tents, often at stunning waterfrontlocations. In addition to Arkeiss, there aretented camps at four other locations, includ-ing the sandy peninsula at Iwik and baysideat Tessot. Rates range from about $10 for asmall, Western-style tent that sleeps two tothree people to $50 for a large Saharan-style tent that can sleep as many as 10. Re-servations for tents and meals can be madeahead of time by contacting park authoritiesin the capital. A la carte (primitive) campingwithin the park is strictly prohibited.

Activities inside the park include swim-ming, bird-watching, dune walking, driving thebeach at low tide (the only time when coastalmotoring is possible) and visiting the fishingvillages of the local Imraguen people. It’s alsopossible to go boating with the Imraguen intheir traditional lateen-rigged sailing vessels,either on fishing trips or general exploration ofthe islands and sandbanks. History buffs willrelish the chance to sail the shallow waterswhere the French navy frigate Medusawrecked in 1816, the catalyst for one of thegreat maritime survival epics of all time. Bothinspiring and tragic, the tale has been spunseveral times, including Jonathan Miles’s ‘‘TheWreck of the Medusa,’’ which makes greatreading for anyone visiting Banc d’Arguin.

For those who don’t have the time ordesert expertise, organized tours can be thesolution. Mauritanie Aventure, for instance,offers guided 4x4 trips that include both theSahara and Banc d’Arguin. J.R.Y.

On Dec. 1-3, Unesco held the first-ever meeting of its World Heritagemarine site managers in Honolulu. Theconference, ‘‘Navigating the Future ofMarine World Heritage,’’ broughttogether managers of the ‘‘crownjewels of the ocean,’’ most of whomhad never met. But after three days ofshared experience, discussions andgroup work, participants emergedfeeling they had found a unified forceand had gone one step closer towardbuilding a World Heritage marine sitecommunity that would develop acommon approach to fight issuesfacing them all: climate change,overfishing, invasive species andtourism. Fanny Douvère, coordinatorof Unesco’s World Heritage MarineProgram, said: ‘‘This is a beginning.We have a long way to go, but we canmake changes that will make adifference for all of us.’’ J.J.

If Jaeger-LeCoultre watchmakingcould be summed up in one word,that word might be ‘‘precision.’’ Thelatest Jaeger-LeCoultre modelsshowcase its greatest achievementsin a 177-year history, offering themost complex movements evermade. A movement, or caliber, is theorgan that gives life to the watch;Jaeger-LeCoultre has created over1,000 of them. Caliber makers, alsocalled movement-design engineers,produce 12 prototypes for each newmodel, and must test them for aslong as one year. Forty differentcrafts and 1,000 professionalsensure that each watch is perfect.

‘‘Making parts like this, andputting them on the market, is achallenge for watchmakers becauseyou’re creating something nobodyhas ever seen before,’’ saysChristian Laurent, masterwatchmaker in high complications atJaeger-LeCoultre. ‘‘But it’s achallenge our watchmakers love.’’

Before leaving the manufacture,a 1,000-hour control policyrecreates the conditions in whichthe finished timepiece will be worn.This process lasts six weeks, whileevery part of the watch is rigorouslytested. The 1,000-hour controlpolicy has become an industrybenchmark. But now Jaeger-LeCoultre has gone even further. Anew ‘‘1,000 Hours Chrono’’ labeladds another validation, entirelydedicated to accuracy. It wasdeveloped for the high-precisionMaster Grande Tradition models.

A Jaeger-LeCoultre MasterTourbillon Calibre 978 watch won the2009 Chronometrie InternationalTiming Competition, with a score of909 points out of a possible 1,000.In second place was Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Reverso Gyrotourbillon 2,with 908 points. The result certifiesthe Master Tourbillon as the mostprecise mechanical wristwatchmade today. J.J.

SPOTLIGHT | Outstanding biodiversity

Banc d’Arguin National Park: World Heritage marine site is way station for migratory birds

Precision, innovation and luxury by Jaeger-LeCoultre

EXPLORING | Desert and sea

A seashore with solitude, and the journey to reach it

Marine site conference

Live the Tides of Time experience by scanning this QR Code with your smartphone. Be sure to first download a QR Code reader.

�emjN Zi Me\jÔ »p[n m’½OhJe[¦pMeZ[p] �pO^GpN QOZmJnjm oE Mfj ®¯� ºOjpMeIj �Z]JMeZ[N mjQpOM\j[M p[m mem [ZMe[IZ]Ij Mfj [jGNQpQjO’N OjQZOMe[h ZO jmeMZOep] mjQpOM\j[MNï ®M eN Mfj æåOm Zi p NjOejN Z[�[jNnZ’N�ZO]m ¯jOeMphj\pOe[jNeMjNï �fj [jFM e[NMp]]\j[Mò Z[ ¯p ¨Z[h »pE e[ �ejM[p\òGe]] oj QJo]eNfjm Z[ «p[ï çÝò æèççï �fj NjOejN eN p QpOM[jONfeQp\Z[h «pjhjOñ¨jºZJ]MOjò �[jNnZ’N�ZO]m ¯jOeMphj ºj[MOj p[m Mfj ®[MjO[pMeZ[p] ¯jOp]m �OeoJ[jï �jFM oE º¨½�·®½ ³¨®�®ò«¤�¯�½ «½§�¤¨ p[m «¤�µ�¯�ï �¤±µ���ï ³ZO e[iZO\pMeZ[ Z[ Mfj ®¯� ºOjpMeIj �Z]JMeZ[N QOZhOp\ÔGGGï[EMe\jNh]Zop]ïnZ\

Visit the Tides of Time Web sitefor videos, interviews and more

information on World Heritage marinesites: whc.unesco.org/tidesoftime/

A sk any bird lover why Banc d’ArguinNational Park was named a WorldHeritage marine site, and the answer

comes easily. Most birders know that this1.2-million-hectare (three-million-acre) ex-panse of terrestrial sand dunes, mangroveswamps, mud banks, marshes and shallowwaters fringing the coast of Mauritania inWest Africa is a major way station for mi-gratory birds. More than two million aviantravelers stop here each year: some stay tohibernate for the winter, others rest beforecontinuing on their southward journey.

‘‘Bird migration is one of the most spec-tacular sights of this site,’’ says Guy Debon-net, chief of the Special Projects Unit for Un-esco’s World Heritage Centre. A birderhimself, he knew about Banc d’Arguin long be-fore he started working for Unesco in 2001.‘‘The whole East Atlantic flyway for migratingbirds would be affected if anything were tohappen to this particular site,’’ he adds.

Therefore it is no surprise that Banc d’Ar-guin — one of the largest protected areas inWest Africa — was inscribed on the WorldHeritage List in 1989 for the significance ofits ecosystems and biodiversity. AlthoughMauritania is one of the poorest countries inthe world, it recognizes the importance of theregion and had made it a national park in1976, 13 years before the World Heritagedesignation. The government officials whohave been appointed site directors since1989 have all been exceptionally competent,

underscoring the park’s visibility at thehighest levels. One former director sub-sequently became prime minister, and othershave held ministerial rank or served as direc-tors of key public enterprises. The site’s cur-rent director, Mohamadou YoussoufDiagana, is an economist and a former direc-tor of the national budget in Mauritania.

The outstanding biodiversity of the site isexemplified by some250 species of migrat-ing birds, attracted bythe rich marine life justoffshore. The shallowwaters contain nutri-tious elements like phytoplankton anddeepwater upwellings that make it ideal forfish breeding. (An upwelling occurs whennutrient-rich deepwater is driven by naturalforces toward the ocean’s surface, repla-cing the warmer, nutrient-depleted waterotherwise found on the surface).

The rich water nourishes not only fish,shellfish, rays and other forms of marine life,but also five species of dolphins, twothreatened species of sea turtles and theworld’s largest colony of monk seals, themost endangered species of seal on earth.The biological productivity that draws birdsand mammals also attracts local fishermen,the Imraguen, whose traditional fishingmethods do not jeopardize the park’s mar-ine eco-balance. The Imraguens’ 114 localsailing boats are the only vessels allowed to

operate within the 600,000 hectares ofmarine reserve.

However, commercial fishing vesselsfrom Europe, Japan and Russia are alsodrawn to the site, and they do threaten thepark’s ecosystem. Overfishing has become amajor threat in recent years, in spite of WorldHeritage status. A decade ago, industrial fish-ing vessels were operating illegally in the

park, and some 400small-scale motorizedboats were arrestedeach year, says AntonioAraujo of the FondationInternationale du Banc

d’Arguin, an independent organization work-ing with Unesco site staff in Mauritania.

Back then, the park’s budget was around¤100,000 ($136,000), so a lack of fundsfor maritime surveillance was part of theproblem, Araujo says. Today, the park’s an-nual budget allocated by the state is morethan ¤1 million, and the government hasdonated ¤3 million to set up a trust fund toensure long-term financing. Increased fund-ing has meant increased surveillance, whichin turn has driven industrial fishing boatsfrom the park (although they continue to fishoutside its boundaries). Within the park, in-tentional fishing of sea turtles has beeneradicated; fishing focused on rays andsharks has dramatically decreased. Onlysailing boats are allowed in Banc d’Arguin;the number of motorized pirogues caught

inside the park has been cut by two-thirds.Site managers work with locals to develop asustainable management plan for fishstocks, in recognition of the area’s impor-tance as a fish nursery. Mauritania derivesimportant annual revenues from fishing li-censes; the European Union’s most impor-tant fishing agreements globally are withMauritania. ‘‘Protection pays,’’ notes Araujo.

Oil also pays, and oil exploration off thecoast of Mauritania is a second major threatto the well-being of Banc d’Arguin. Offshoreoil exploration is now under way outside thepark, but since Banc d’Arguin covers one-third of the coastline and protects 60 per-cent of the most productive coastal habit-ats, it could obviously be affected. Acciden-tal oil spills would have an enormousimpact, cautions Debonnet, with a nod tothe BP oil spill off the Louisiana coast.

The advice of the World Heritage Centreis for Mauritania to urge oil explorationfarther away from the site and to do an en-vironmental impact assessment. Disaster

preparedness is essential and should bepart of the management plan for all heritagesites, Debonnet says. However, adequatefunding is necessary to ensure the imple-mentation of disaster planning proposals.

Oil exploration also means tankers — an-other threat to the site. The international wa-ters west of Mauritania’s coast are crossedby one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.The big tankers passing in front of Mauritaniacarry dangerous materials as well as oil. Sitemanagers are seeking ‘‘particularly sensitivesea area’’ status from the International Mari-time Organization so that shipping lanes canbe moved further away from the coast.

Longer term, climate change could have amarked impact on the marine portion of thepark. Already, the vegetation — encom-passing 190 plant species — along thecoastline has been visibly affected. If theocean temperature changes in the future, theconsequences would affect the global foodchain, from microplankton to migratory birdsto mammalian diets on land and sea. C.F.

Oil exploration off thecoast of Mauritania is amajor threat to the site

Lesser flamingos at the Bancd’Arguin: Hundreds of bird

species are attracted by thepark’s rich marine life.

HE

LLIO

&V

AN

ING

EN

Banc d’Arguin National Park, a World Heritagemarine site in Mauritania, is one of the largestprotected areas in West Africa

Jaeger-LeCoultre and UNESCO in partnership for conservationof World Heritage sites.A real commitment to a precious cause.www.jaeger-lecoultre.com

TWO HEARTS. REAL PRECISION.

DUOMÈTRE À QUANTIÈME LUNAIRE. Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 381.The Dual-Wing concept is a genuine horological revolution featuring two distinctmechanisms synchronised by a single regulating organ. The patented jumpingstop-seconds function enables time-setting to the nearest 1/6th of a second.

YOU DESERVE A REAL WATCH.