The French Austral Lands and Seas Biodiversity haven in the Southern Ocean

Situated between the 37th and 50th southern parallels, the French Austral Lands and Seas encompass the largest of the few emerged landmasses in the southern Indian Ocean, including the Crozet Archipelago, the Kerguelen Islands and the islands of Saint-Paul and Amsterdam. These territories come under the Terres australes et antarctiques françaises (TAAF), a French overseas administration created in 1955, which exercises missions of sovereignty, preservation of the environment, support for research and supervision of sustainable fisheries. In 2019, these islands, together with their protected maritime zone that constitutes the national nature reserve of the French Austral Lands, became the 50th marine site inscribed on the World Heritage List.