Réserve naturelle nationale des Terres australes francaises

Anse du Gros Ventre - Péninsule Rallier du Batty - Kerguelen
Est de la Péninsule Courbet - Kerguelen
Plateau des Tourbières - île Amsterdam
Canard d'Eaton
Albatros d'Amsterdam
Cormoran de Kerguelen
Val Studer - îles Kerguelen

Réserve naturelle nationale des Terres australes francaises

  • Country: 
    France (outre-mer)
  • Site number: 
    1837
  • Area: 
    2,337,100 ha
  • Designation date: 
    15-09-2008
  • Coordinates: 
    48°57'S 67°17'E
Materials presented on this website, particularly maps and territorial information, are as-is and as-available based on available data and do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the Ramsar Convention concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

Overview

The Site is located in the southern Indian Ocean and consists of two sub-Antarctic archipelagos – Crozet and Kerguelen – and the subtropical islands of Amsterdam and Saint-Paul. The islands are widely separated by open sea, so the centre coordinate given is purely notional. The Site includes a great variety of inland and coastal wetland types such as peatlands, marshes and lakes, rocky shores, estuaries and fjords. It supports many endemic species including the globally vulnerable Eaton’s pintail Anas eatoni and Crozet pintail Anas eatoni drygalskii, and the critically endangered Amsterdam albatross Diomedea amsterdamensis. The islands represent an important refuge and reproduction ground for millions of migratory birds. Many marine mammals such as the southern sea elephant Mirounga leonina and the Antarctic seal Arctocephalus tropicalis are also well represented. The major threat is related to the introduction of non-native species such as cats and rats that are leading to the population decline of many bird species. Climate change is also affecting the ecological character of the Site.

Administrative region: 
Terres Australes et Antarctiques Françaises

  • National legal designation: 
    • réserve naturelle nationale - Réserve Naturelle Nationale des Terres Australes Francaises
  • Last publication date: 
    09-08-2018