Abstract
In the South Indian Ocean, French territories include Reunion (Mascarene archipelago), Mayotte (Comoros archipelago) and the remote Iles Eparses in the Mozambique Channel (Glorieuses, Juan de Nova, Bassas da India, Europa), and Tromelin, North-East of Madagascar. Their coral reefs are varied, from 18km2 of fringing reefs in Reunion to 1500km2 of fringing, barrier and double barrier reefs in Mayotte, caye reefs in Glorieuses and Tromelin to atolls in Juan de Nova, Bassas da India and Europa. Pressures on them vary from 850,000 inhabitants in Reunion to no permanent inhabitants in Iles Eparses. Annual monitoring of Reunion and Mayotte shows a gradual decrease in coral cover and fish biomass, due to overfishing. Yet an exceptional biodiversity is recorded in Mayotte, mainly due to its geographical position at the center of the WIO coral triangle, and the variety of reef habitats. In the remote Iles Eparses, more recent monitoring showed a remarkable state of coral reefs and their exceptional fish biomass.
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