Led by the Terres australes et antarctiques françaises (TAAF) and funded by the Office Français de la Biodiversité (OFB), Fondation de la Mer, and IFRECOR, the “Récifs Isolés 2” programme (October 2022 – June 2025) focused on assessing coral reef ecosystem health across the Iles Eparses. This involved a series of comprehensive marine campaigns covering Juan de Nova, Bassas da India, Europa, Glorieuses, Tromelin, and the Geyser bank.
Campaign activities involved multi-faceted ecological assessments, including detailed studies of sea cucumber, fish, and coral populations using GCRMN protocols. Seagrass beds were systematically surveyed, and benthic habitats mapped, notably at Bassas da India. An extensive network of temperature probes was deployed and maintained for continuous environmental monitoring, while specific surveys using photo-quadrat methods were undertaken to assess coral bleaching impacts. Furthermore, innovative monitoring techniques were actively tested.
These included deploying ROVs for mesophotic zone and nocturnal fauna explorations, installing hydrophones for passive acoustic studies of marine life and human activities, and collecting diverse biological samples for subsequent laboratory analyses, such as genetic connectivity and pollutant bioaccumulation studies. All these actions aimed to build a comprehensive understanding of these remote marine ecosystems.
By Grégoire Moutardier