On Wednesday 11 October 2024, Denise Bellan-Santini, Emeritus Research Director at the CNRS's IMBE (NEMO team) was made Officer in the Order of National Merit by the President of the Republic. The medal, presented by the Prefect of Bouches du Rhône, was awarded in recognition of a career spanning more than 60 years in the service of knowledge about marine biodiversity. The Prefect particularly highlighted her role as a driving force in the study of marine ecosystems, the training of several generations of scientists from all shores of the Mediterranean and her unwavering commitment to working with local and regional authorities to create the Marine Protected Areas of the Southern Region (Port-Cros National Park, Côte Bleue Marine Park and Calanques National Park). Denise Bellan-Santini had already been awarded the Légion d'Honneur and, very importantly for her, the Ordre du Mérite Maritime.
