The management of the natural marine reserve of the Terres australes françaises (French Southern Lands) ...

• Main Authors: Falguier, Axel, Marteau, Cédric
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: Cybium 2011
• Subjects: Conservation, Inventories, Management plan, Natural marine reserve; Kerguelen; Paul Islands; Saint-Paul; Antarc*; Antarctica; Antarctique*
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.26028/cybium/2011-35sp-033; http://sfi-cybium.fr/fr/management-natural-marine-reserve-terres-australes-françaises-french-southern-lands

The national marine and terrestrial nature reserve of the Terres australes françaises was created in October 2006. It covers 23 000 km² of land and sea and is the largest nature reserve in France. It encompasses 11 693 km² of the territorial sea (12 nm from the coast) of Crozet and Kerguelen archipelagos, as well as the entire extent of the territorial seas of Amsterdam and Saint-Paul islands. A management plan has been drafted for this nature reserve, which is managed by the Terres australes et antarctiques françaises (TAAF). Although knowledge still needs to be developed, the marine reserve preserves important natural heritage, such as large feeding areas of high biomass beds of Macrocystis pyrifera and Durvillea antarctica. The diversity of the fauna, especially fish and marine mammals protected by the reserve also needs to be highlighted (TAAF, 2011). The management plan for all French nature reserves are normally composed of three parts. The first provides a description of the reserve, the second ...