OUR TEAM

Founder of the MOANA NUI project, Christophe is a journalist, photographer, filmmaker and ethno-ecologist (Diploma of Advanced Studies "Environments and Societies", Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle and Institut de Recherche pour le Développement - IRD).

He is a specialist in the revival of Polynesian navigation and traditional ecological knowledges, which he has studied while hired by UNESCO and during numerous stays in the Pacific.

Christophe, after having worked for almost 10 years on the development of the MOANA NUI concept, will be in charge of its management and global strategy.

Former project manager in cultural and sports events agencies, he will also be in charge of the relations with the media, partners and other stakeholders.

VPLP DESIGN (https://vplp.fr/) is a world famous naval architecture firm.

Marc is an associate architect and co-designer of many racing multihulls (including IDEC, BANQUE POPULAIRE, ORACLE...).

Marc will be the coordinator for the design and building of MOANA NUI's VAKA for VPLP.

Jean-Paul is a long-distance solo sailor and naval designer.

Fascinated by the naval architecture of Pacific boats, he designed and built a 14-meter amphidromic catamaran of Polynesian inspiration, the KAAHUA (https://archiprog.blogspot.com/).

He is the designer of the 6 VAKA of MOANA NUI, faithful replicas of the great ancestral catamarans that once sailed the Pacific.

Beyond the pre-planning phase, Jean-Paul will work in collaboration with VPLP DESIGN, who will be in charge of the architectural project of the MOANA NUI VAKA.

Tua is a traditional Polynesian Master Navigator.

Born and raised in the Cook Islands, he was trained in ancestral navigation in Hawaii, then in Micronesia. He has many non-instrumental navigations to his credit.

In 25 years, Tua has sailed the "Great Ocean" many times.

From expeditions to conferences, he has become a well-konwn and respeted personality of the Pacific, invited to the great environmental and cultural events of the region, where his words are heard.

He will be one of our master navigators, but also our cultural referent during the MOANA NUI expedition.

After numerous missions in the event industry, Fabienne has worked in architecture and banking.

She has often followed Christophe Mercier, her husband, in his journeys in the heart of the Pacific, including for UNESCO, where she was the video director for a project in the Cook Islands and New Zealand. Passionned by the cultures of the Pacific and the protection of the environment, Fabienne will be the coordinator between the metropolitan and Pacific zone teams.

She will also be in charge of the coordination of events related to the MOANA NUI project.

A graduate of Sciences Po Paris in environmental governance and ocean issues, Eve was selected to become "Young Ocean & Climate Ambassador" by the NGO Peace Boat.

In New York, Eve spoke at the UN High-Level Political Forum to make the voice of the younger generations heard.

Convinced by the MOANA NUI concept, which she describes as "transgenerational and transcultural", Eve will be in charge of organizing and coordinating MOANA NUI's educational/awareness-raising activities.

Coming from Micronesia, Larry is from a long lineage of ancestral Master Navigators.

He has performed many traditional navigations, without the aid of any modern instruments. Larry is also the holder of ancestral knowledge of dugout construction, fishing and sustainable living in isolated island environments.

Popular speaker at cultural and environmental events, Larry founded a local NGO that promotes traditional knowledge to younger generations, and awareness of the socio-economic, cultural and climatic challenges facing the islands of Micronesia.

Larry will be one of our Master Navigators who will lead our VAKAs on the vastness of the Pacific. He will also be one of the teachers/facilitators of MOANA NUI's awareness-raising activities.

Sam is a biologist and a member of the NGO THE NATURE CONSERVANCY OF HAWAII .

Sam has 40 years of experience in Hawaiian ecology.

His experience in field ecology and knowledge of Hawaiian culture and history is a great asset when working with local communities and land management agencies.

He has applied his expertise in island conservation in cooperative projects and workshops in the Galapagos Islands, the Philippines, Palau, Fiji, Okinawa, and Rapanui.

Sam will be our point person for the science/tradition bridge work in contact with the Pacific communities during the MOANA NUI Odyssey.

Born and living in Hawaii, Kalani is the grandson of traditional Polynesian healers.

He holds a PhD in marine biology and spent several years as a fisheries observer for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Very involved in the development of traditional knowledge for ocean preservation, Kalani is now the Native Hawaiian Program Specialist for the second largest marine protected area in the world, the Papahānaumokuākea (Hawaii) of the OFFICE OF NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARIES within NOAA.

Cécile has a PhD in marine ecology. She founded the association Te Mana O Te Moana in Moorea, French Polynesia, almost 20 years ago, whose purpose is the protection of sea turtles.

A local figure in the protection of the oceans, Cécile and her association organize training and awareness programs for the protection of the oceans with the approval of the French Polynesian Ministry of Education.

90,000 children have been educated in 15 years in Polynesia thanks to the educational programs of Te Mana O Te Moana.

Cécile sometimes brings in personalities from the world of ocean protection, such as Jean-Michel Cousteau.

Tulano is a young Polynesian traditional Master Navigator from the Tokelau Islands, in northern Samoa.

A few years ago, he participated in an expedition, using exclusively ancestral Oceanian methods of navigation.

Tulano is also a traditional fishing expert and his knowledge in terms of sustainable management of island and lagoon areas makes him a regular collaborator of UNESCO, notably in New Zealand, on the theme of TEK (Traditional Ecological Knowledge).

He will be one of the Master Navigator and Master Fisherman of the MOANA NUI expedition.

Mathematician, oceanographer, Jean-Yves was a crew member of Eric Tabarly and Philippe Poupon.

He is one of the world's leading specialists in maritime route planning and sailing race strategy.

Isabelle Autissier, Michel Desjoyeaux, Ellen MacArthur, François Gabart or Armel Le Cléac'h have benefited from his race follow-up and his precious advice.

Jean-Yves will be the maritime route strategic planner and weatherforcaster of the MOANA NUI expedition.

Emmanuel Priou is, one of the two producers of BONNE PIOCHE PRODUCTION (https://bonnepioche.fr/), which has distinguished itself as muh in cinema as in television, notably in works and documentaries magnifying Humanity and Nature.

"The March of the Penguins" (Oscar for best documentary in Hollywood in 2006), "The fox and the Child", "Once upon a forest", "Polly" are all characterized by the desire to "make society" with our environment, with our planets and its inhabitants, humans, animals and plants, through heart-touching stories and adventures, for all types of audiences .

A series and/or documentary film relating the MOANA NUI adventure are currently in development at BONNE PIOCHE.

Former manager of engineering companies in Europe and overseas, Philippe has participated in many projects (urban planning and sustainable building), particularly for the environmental part, he is now the president of the federal technical commission & issues of an association born in 1957, called Cobaty.

Philippe will be our referent for the development of the MOANA NUI eco-places in New Caledonia, Fiji and French Polynesia.

A historian by training and with a postgraduate degree in industrial environmental law, she was for 15 years in charge of projects in this sector of activity, working for elected officials and then for the Suez
Environment Group.

She is now working for a pool of communication agencies.

She will help with the overall coordination and follow-up of communication actions.

Robert Calcagno is the CEO of the Oceanographic Institute and Museum of Monaco, as well as of the Maison des Océans in Paris.

He is also Managing Director of "Explorations de Monaco".

Robert Calcagno has held ministerial positions in the Monaco government, and is the founder of the Trans Route Asia Pacific in Sydney in 1996.
He is also the author of numerous books about the seas and the oceans.

Aulani Wilhelm is Vice President of the "Center for Oceans", of CONSERVATION INTERNATIONAL, an international environmental NGO (https://www.conservation.org/about/center-for-oceans).

Aulani played a major role in the design and establishment of the second largest marine protected area on the planet, the PAPAHĀNAUMOKUĀKEA NATIONAL MARINE MONUMENT, in Hawaii, under President Obama.
She is also the founder of BIG OCEAN, a network of the world's largest managed marine areas.

Aulani is Hawaiian and works to revive the traditional knowledge of the Pacific peoples for better ocean management.

VPLP DESIGN (https://vplp.fr/) is a world famous naval architecture firm.

Marc is an associate architect and co-designer of many racing multihulls (including IDEC, BANQUE POPULAIRE, ORACLE...).

Marc will be the coordinator for the design and building of MOANA NUI's VAKA for VPLP.

Tua is a traditional Polynesian Master Navigator.

Born and raised in the Cook Islands, he was trained in ancestral navigation in Hawaii, then in Micronesia. He has many non-instrumental navigations to his credit.

In 25 years, Tua has sailed the "Great Ocean" many times.

From expeditions to conferences, he has become a well-konwn and respeted personality of the Pacific, invited to the great environmental and cultural events of the region, where his words are heard.

He will be one of our master navigators, but also our cultural referent during the MOANA NUI expedition.

Coming from Micronesia, Larry is from a long lineage of ancestral Master Navigators.

He has performed many traditional navigations, without the aid of any modern instruments. Larry is also the holder of ancestral knowledge of dugout construction, fishing and sustainable living in isolated island environments.

Popular speaker at cultural and environmental events, Larry founded a local NGO that promotes traditional knowledge to younger generations, and awareness of the socio-economic, cultural and climatic challenges facing the islands of Micronesia.

Larry will be one of our Master Navigators who will lead our VAKAs on the vastness of the Pacific. He will also be one of the teachers/facilitators of MOANA NUI's awareness-raising activities.

Professor at the Pierre-et-Marie-Curie University, Sorbonne University (Paris, France), he was President of the National Museum of Natural History from February 2009 to August 2015 and Visiting Professor at the Collège de France in 2013-2014, on
"Sustainable development, environment, energy and society".

He was for two years scientific advisor to the Minister of State for the Environment, Energy and the Sea.

He has given numerous conferences in France and abroad about ocean and biodiversity issues.

He was very involved in the events of the international year 2010, dedicated to biodiversity, with more than 60 conferences.

He took an active part, while he was at the ministry, in the organization of the COP21 in Paris in December 2015.

Sam is a biologist and a member of the NGO THE NATURE CONSERVANCY OF HAWAII .

Sam has 40 years of experience in Hawaiian ecology.

His experience in field ecology and knowledge of Hawaiian culture and history is a great asset when working with local communities and land management agencies.

He has applied his expertise in island conservation in cooperative projects and workshops in the Galapagos Islands, the Philippines, Palau, Fiji, Okinawa, and Rapanui.

Sam will be our point person for the science/tradition bridge work in contact with the Pacific communities during the MOANA NUI Odyssey.

Cécile has a PhD in marine ecology. She founded the association Te Mana O Te Moana in Moorea, French Polynesia, almost 20 years ago, whose purpose is the protection of sea turtles.

A local figure in the protection of the oceans, Cécile and her association organize training and awareness programs for the protection of the oceans with the approval of the French Polynesian Ministry of Education.

90,000 children have been educated in 15 years in Polynesia thanks to the educational programs of Te Mana O Te Moana.

Cécile sometimes brings in personalities from the world of ocean protection, such as Jean-Michel Cousteau.

Tulano is a young Polynesian traditional Master Navigator from the Tokelau Islands, in northern Samoa.

A few years ago, he participated in an expedition, using exclusively ancestral Oceanian methods of navigation.

Tulano is also a traditional fishing expert and his knowledge in terms of sustainable management of island and lagoon areas makes him a regular collaborator of UNESCO, notably in New Zealand, on the theme of TEK (Traditional Ecological Knowledge).

He will be one of the Master Navigator and Master Fisherman of the MOANA NUI expedition.

Emmanuel Priou is, one of the two producers of BONNE PIOCHE PRODUCTION (https://bonnepioche.fr/), which has distinguished itself as muh in cinema as in television, notably in works and documentaries magnifying Humanity and Nature.

"The March of the Penguins" (Oscar for best documentary in Hollywood in 2006), "The fox and the Child", "Once upon a forest", "Polly" are all characterized by the desire to "make society" with our environment, with our planets and its inhabitants, humans, animals and plants, through heart-touching stories and adventures, for all types of audiences .

A series and/or documentary film relating the MOANA NUI adventure are currently in development at BONNE PIOCHE.

Former manager of engineering companies in Europe and overseas, Philippe has participated in many projects (urban planning and sustainable building), particularly for the environmental part, he is now the president of the federal technical commission & issues of an association born in 1957, called Cobaty.

Philippe will be our referent for the development of the MOANA NUI eco-places in New Caledonia, Fiji and French Polynesia.

Professor at the Pierre-et-Marie-Curie University, Sorbonne University (Paris, France), he was President of the National Museum of Natural History from February 2009 to August 2015 and Visiting Professor at the Collège de France in 2013-2014, on
"Sustainable development, environment, energy and society".

He was for two years scientific advisor to the Minister of State for the Environment, Energy and the Sea.

He has given numerous conferences in France and abroad about ocean and biodiversity issues.

He was very involved in the events of the international year 2010, dedicated to biodiversity, with more than 60 conferences.

He took an active part, while he was at the ministry, in the organization of the COP21 in Paris in December 2015.

Research Supervisor at the Institute for Development Research, President of the Scientific Committee of the Oceanographic Institute of Monaco, Philippe Cury has developed his research in the field of oceanographic biology with strong links to the ecosystemic management of marine resources.

He has developed ecological concepts and international scientific leadership on the ecosystem approach to exploited marine resources.

A strong advocate of the development of Marine Protected/Managed Areas, Philippe Cury wishes to promote the deployment and updating of traditional ecological knowledge to ensure innovative and sustainable management.

Yves Hénocque, PhD in marine ecology, is the IFREMER correspondent for the Asia-Pacific region.

Yves is also President of the Coastal Experts Committee "Environment Program" of the FONDATION DE FRANCE.

Yves is convinced that only an integrated sea/littoral management can preserve the Ocean. As he says: "we must invent new modes of shared management, rethink the intervention of science, coordinate the actors of governance, build new values in terms of solidarity at planet scale.

In line with this vision, Yves is convinced of the merits of the active participation of local actors and knowledge.

Sam is a biologist and a member of the NGO THE NATURE CONSERVANCY OF HAWAII .

Sam has 40 years of experience in Hawaiian ecology.

His experience in field ecology and knowledge of Hawaiian culture and history is a great asset when working with local communities and land management agencies.

He has applied his expertise in island conservation in cooperative projects and workshops in the Galapagos Islands, the Philippines, Palau, Fiji, Okinawa, and Rapanui.

Sam will be our point person for the science/tradition bridge work in contact with the Pacific communities during the MOANA NUI Odyssey.

Born and living in Hawaii, Kalani is the grandson of traditional Polynesian healers.

He holds a PhD in marine biology and spent several years as a fisheries observer for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Very involved in the development of traditional knowledge for ocean preservation, Kalani is now the Native Hawaiian Program Specialist for the second largest marine protected area in the world, the Papahānaumokuākea (Hawaii) of the OFFICE OF NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARIES within NOAA.

Director of the Archaeological Institute of New Caledonia and the Pacific (IANCP) for many years, Christophe is now attached to the GRED (Governance, Risk, Environment and Development) of the Institute for Research on Development (IRD).

An archaeologist specializing in prehistoric settlements in the Pacific and the impact of humans on island environments, he is also interested in the mechanisms of appropriation of the past in contemporary identity construction processes.

Thanks to his numerous collaborations with institutions such as the CNRS, the Academia Sinica in Taiwan, and the Australian National University in Canberra, Christophe Sand is one of the world's most recognized "oceanic" scientists.

Daniel is a Professor of Marine Biology at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. He is also director of the SEA AROUND US project.
A French-Canadian, he is recognized as one of the world's leading experts on marine resources.
In 2003, he became Director of the Fisheries Centre in Vancouver and was named one of the 50 most influential scientists of the moment by Scientific American magazine.
He was awarded the prestigious Cosmos Prize for Ecological Research in 2005.