France extends its Southern Territories Marine Protected Area by a million square kilometres

 
île Saint-Paul

“On the occasion of the One Ocean Summit on February 11, 2022, the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, announced the extension of the National Nature Reserve (RNN) of the French Southern Territories [Terres australes françaises] to all maritime areas.  The Crozet and Kerguelen Archipelagos and the Saint-Paul and Amsterdam Islands [are] administered by the French Southern and Antarctic Lands [Terres australes et antarctiques françaises; TAAF].  With 1.6 million km², the national nature reserve of the French Southern Territories thus becomes the largest marine protected area in France and the second largest marine protected area in the world.  This extension of nearly one million additional km² allows France to exceed the objective of 30% of French maritime and land areas in protected areas (33%) and contributes thus strongly to the objective of protecting emblematic spaces in strong protection.”

“The extension of the RNN also provides for the delimitation of a reinforced protection zone (strong protection of the integral reserve type) over nearly 50% of the waters of Saint-Paul and Amsterdam, in response to the ecological issues identified in this zone, to approximately 375,000 km2 (23%) the area of the marine reserve completely preserved from any industrial or commercial activity and any discharge. It thus ensures the highest level of protection for vulnerable environments of first-rate ecological and heritage importance.”

île Amsterdam, photographs from Thierry Micol

“The French Southern Territories (Crozet, Kerguelen, Saint-Paul and Amsterdam) are particularly well-preserved sanctuaries of biodiversity, which harbor an exceptional natural heritage. In order to conserve these unique ecosystems, France created the French Southern Territories National Nature Reserve (RNN) in 2006, which included the entire land surface of the islands (approximately 7,700 km2) and 52.5% of their territorial waters, or 15,700 km2. In response to scientific work carried out within the framework of the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), the RNN of the French Southern Territories was extended in 2016 to strengthen the protection of marine natural heritage. reaching an area of 672,969 km2.  This reserve was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2019 under the name “French Southern Lands and Seas”. It was in 2019 that the work to carry out a second extension was launched. The consultation carried out with economic players, scientists and experts has made it possible to finalize an extension of more than 1 million km² covering all the waters under French jurisdiction in the southern zone.  The current national nature reserve of the French Southern Territories covers more than 1.6 million km², including 375,000 km² of reserves completely preserved from all industrial or commercial activities.”

Watch a video on the extension.

[Translated via Google Translate.  Click here for the original text in French].

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 15 February 2022