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French Austral Lands and Seas EUROPE / NORTH AMERICA FRENCH AUSTRAL LANDS AND SEAS FRANCE Southern Rockhopper (Eudyptes chrysocome) on Crozet Island © IUCN / Wendy Strahm France – French Austral Lands and Seas WORLD HERITAGE NOMINATION – IUCN TECHNICAL EVALUATION FRENCH AUSTRAL LANDS AND SEAS (FRANCE) – ID N° 1603 IUCN RECOMMENDATION TO WORLD HERITAGE COMMITTEE: To inscribe the property under natural criteria. Key paragraphs of Operational Guidelines: Paragraph 77: Nominated property meets World Heritage criteria. Paragraph 78: Nominated property meets integrity, protection and management requirements. 1. DOCUMENTATION the rarely observed type D killer whales. Marine Mammal Science, 32(3):983-1003; Weimerskirch, H., a) Date nomination received by IUCN: March 2018 Le Bouard, F., Ryan, P.G. & Bost, C.A. (2018). Massive decline of the world’s largest king penguin b) Additional information officially requested from colony at Ile aux Cochons, Crozet. Antarctic Science, and provided by the State Party: Following the IUCN 30(4):236-242. World Heritage Panel a progress report was sent to the State Party on 20 December 2018. This letter d) Consultations: 7 desk reviews received. The advised on the status of the evaluation process and mission met with the Prefect and Secretary-General of sought responses/clarifications on a number of matters the French Austral and Antarctic Territories (TAAF), related to tourism planning and management; alien Reserve Director and Head of Environment for TAAF, invasive species status and management; status of Three District heads for each island cluster, licensed King Penguin populations; and clarifications regarding commercial fishing boat operators, Captain of the navy the area of the nominated property. A formal response frigate patrolling the economic fishing zone, President from the State Party to the issues raised in the and members of Scientific and Management progress report was received in February 2019. Committees for reserve, Director of the French Polar Institute and over 100 scientists, military personnel and c) Additional literature consulted: Various sources, reserve staff working and living for up to a year in the including: Chapuis, J.-L. & Arnaud, B.G. (1995). nominated property and 11 tourists on ship. IUCN Restauration d’îles de l’archipel de Kerguelen par notes this evaluation involved an exceptional month éradication du lapin (Oryctolagus cuniculus) : méthode long mission voyage, and wishes to record its thanks d’intervention appliquée à l’île Verte. Rev. Ecol. (Terre to the evaluators for their exceptional commitment to Vie), 50:377-390; Chapuis, J.L., Frenot, Y. & this mission, as well as the Captain and crew of the Lebouvier, M. (2002). Une gamme d’îles de référence, Marion Dufresne and all involved in the evaluation. un atout majeur pour l’évaluation de programmes de restauration dans l’archipel de Kerguelen. Rev. Ecol. e) Field Visit: Wendy Strahm, Anjara Saloma, 30 (Terre Vie, supplément), 9:121-130; Chapuis, J.L., October – 30 November 2018 Frenot, V. & Lebouvier, M. (2004). Recovery of native plant communities after eradication of rabbits from the f) Date of IUCN approval of this report: April 2019 subantarctic Kerguelen Islands, and influence of climate change. Biological Conservation, 117:167– 179; Chapuis, J.L., Le Roux, V., Asseline, J., Lefèvre, 2. SUMMARY OF NATURAL VALUES L. & Kerleau, F. (2001). Eradication of rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) by poisoning on three islands The French Austral Lands and Seas (Terres et mers of the subantarctic Kerguelen 15 Archipelago. Wildlife australes françaises), a serial property covering a vast Research, 28:323–331; Hureau, J.C. (2011). Marine 67,297,900 ha, is composed of a collection of Research on the Kerguelen Plateau: from early extremely isolated volcanic islands of diverse size and scientific expeditions to current surveys under the history located in two biogeographic zones, situated CCAMLR objectives. The Kerguelen Plateau: marine between 37°-50°S. The Crozet Archipelago, consisting ecosystem and fisheries. 5-13; TAFF (2017). of five main islands, and the glaciated and highly Amélioration des connaissances sur le rat noir à dissected Kerguelen, which consists of the main island Kerguelen. In: Bilan d’activités 2016 de la réserve plus more than 60 small islands, are situated in the naturelle des Terres australes françaises. Terres sub-Antarctic zone. The islands of Amsterdam and St australes et antarctiques françaises, 39; TAFF (2017). Paul are in the cool-temperate zone. Table 1 details Etat des lieux initial flore/oiseaux/mammifères the three serial components of nominated property introduits : prérequis à l’élimination des rongeurs des including terrestrial and marine areas. îlots Colbeck, Kerguelen. In: Bilan d’activités 2016 de la réserve naturelle des Terres australes françaises. Terres australes et antarctiques françaises. 41; Tixier, P., Gasco, N., Duhamel, G. & Guinet, C. (2016). Depredation of Patagonian toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides) by two sympatrically occurring killer whale (Orcinus orca) ecotypes: Insights on the behavior of IUCN Evaluation Report – May 2019 31 France – French Austral Lands and Seas Terrestrial (ha) Marine (ha) Total (ha) (Pachyptila macgillivrayi, EN) and the emblematic Crozet 34,800 25,543,600 25,578,400 Amsterdam Albatross (Diomedea amsterdamensis, Archipelago EN). Eight species of albatross, of which six are Ile de la ~14,907 considered globally threatened, and six species of Possession penguin, of which three are considered globally Ile de l’Est ~12,580 threatened, breed in the nominated property. In Ilôts des ~259 addition, the nominated property hosts the second Apôtres largest population of Elephant Seal (Mirounga leonine, Ile aux ~6,682 Cochons LC) and the third largest population of Antarctic Fur Ile des ~335 Seal (Arctocephalus gazelle, LC) in the world. In terms Pingouins of biodiversity and conservation importance for Kerguelen 726,000 38,982,000 39,708,000 threatened species, the nominated property is clearly Islands of global significance. Amsterdam 6,000 2,004,500 2,010,500 and St Paul One third of the nature reserve area (both marine and Islands terrestrial) is highly protected (IUCN protected area Total (ha): 766,900 66,530,100 67,297,900 Categories Ia and Ib), with some islands, such as the Table 1: The three serial components of the nominated Apôtres and Ile des Pingouins of Crozet and the Ile de property l’Ouest, Nuageuses and Leygues Islands of Kerguelen, essentially pristine. The remaining The islands house many areas of stunning natural terrestrial portion of the nominated property falls under beauty including steep eroded cliffs with many IUCN Category IV, and the remaining marine area geological features including the emblematic “Arch of under Category VI. Kerguelen”, dramatic glacial fjords and mountains, and volcanic calderas. The abrupt cliffs, on which huge colonies of albatrosses breed, the shores with 3. COMPARISONS WITH OTHER AREAS impressive colonies of penguins and seals, large flocks of small petrels and prions congregating in white In addition to the excellent comparative information in clouds over the sea, and the massive, pristine the nomination, UN Environment-WCMC and IUCN sphagnum bogs dotted with nests of the rarest investigated further the basis for application of the albatross in the world are truly superlative and of biodiversity criteria. In relation to criterion (ix), the global significance. In addition, the nominated property nominated property does not overlap with any broad includes some islands on which people have never set scale global conservation priority, however, it is found foot, making them some of the last untouched in three marine ecoregions which are not yet wilderness of the planet. represented on the World Heritage List, and its (small) terrestrial area is found in a terrestrial ecoregion, which Due to the extreme isolation of these islands, their is currently only represented by one site. It is position between the polar and subtropical representative of the unique biodiversity found in convergence, and exceptionally low human impact, the Southern territories. In particular, the Crozet and sea is particularly rich in pelagic species, providing rich Kerguelen Islands host one of the most diverse and trophic resources for seabirds and mammals, which abundant population of seabirds of the Southern congregate in their thousands on the islands. The Ocean, including globally important populations of large size of the nominated property and wide penguins, albatross and petrels. bathymetric range allows ecological processes to continue naturally (not taking into account human- In terms of criterion (x), in addition to containing one of induced climate change). This has produced an the highest concentrations and diversity of seabirds in important richness of marine species, including an the world, the site also has a very rich diversity of endemic subspecies of dolphin in the region. While the marine mammals, which includes significant flora, due to distance from any continent and climate, populations of elephant seal and subantarctic fur seal. is depauperate, eight of the 36 species of higher plants Compared to other existing sub-Antarctic sites, the native to the islands are endemic. At least four species nominated property shows a high level of bird and of birds are endemic, plus three other species endemic mammal diversity. The world’s largest rookery of King at a regional level. Similarly, a number of invertebrates Penguins is found within the
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