The territory of the southern and antarctic Lands French , more usually called “southern and antarctic Lands French” or “TAAF”, constitutes since 1955, a Overseas territory of the France, composed of three insular districts of the south of the Indian Ocean: Kerguelen, Crozet and Saint-Paul-and-Amsterdam and of a portion of the continent the Antarctic: the Ad3elie coast.

The application of the Treated on the Antarctic, to which France adheres, place however the Ad3elie coast in a typical location. The French sovereignty, which is not recognized by certain States, is exerted in a way in conformity with the Treaty. The treaty does nothing but suspend the French territorial claims and the exercise of exclusive sovereignty, as long as this treaty will be in force.

The law n° 2007-224 of the bearing February 21st, 2007 statutory and institutional provisions relative to overseas adds a fifth district to the French Lands southern and antarctic, that tropical of the islands Éparses (Tromelin, Europa, Bassas da India, Glorieuses, Juan de Nova).

None the districts had forever, apart from some short attempts of colonization, permanent population. France however ensures it a continuous human presence (logistic, scientific or military) thanks to regularly raised personnel.

Districts

The southern and antarctic Lands French (TAAF) are a territory French of overseas with specific statute. It is composed of 5 administrative districts:

Statute

The Traité on the Antarctic (Washington, 1959) establishes a “gel” of the territorial claims in the Antarctic. Thus, the France exerts its sovereignty in Ad3elie coast even if certain States refuse by principle any territorial appropriation of the Antarctic.

The southern and antarctic Lands French are regarded as an administrative entity interns France but deprived of legal identity.

Contrary to the Metropolitan France and the overseas departments, the territory of the southern and antarctic Lands French does not form part of the European Union, and the Community legislation is not applicable there.

Administration

Created as a Overseas territory (TOM) by the law of the August 6th 1955, TAAF are equipped with the administrative autonomy and financial. They moreover, since the constitutional revision of the March 28th 2003, are explicitly mentioned in article 72-3 of the Constitution of the French Republic.

Before 1955, the southern and antarctic Lands French do not exist as a distinct territorial entity. The southern islands (Crozet, Kerguelen, Saint-Paul and Amsterdam) are attached as from 1924 to the administration of the general Government of France to Madagascar, like scattered islands depending on Tamatave. In 1949, Ground-Adelie is added there and the unit then forms a district of the province of Tamatave.

The TAAF are placed under the authority of the higher Administrator of the Lands southern and antarctic French, who, since 2004, carries the title of prefect. The administrative seat, which was initially in Paris, was installed in 2000 with Saint-Pierre, with the Réunion. The southern and antarctic Lands French do not make therefore part of this Overseas department.

The prefect of the southern and antarctic Lands French also manages the exclusive economic zone very wide which confers French sovereignty on these islands of the Indian Ocean.

He is responsible for the shipping register of the southern and antarctic Lands French, a detached special under-register of the French shipping register maintained in Paris to which is applicable the European right (contrary to the TAAF which is out of the European Union).

The State is represented in the four districts by “chiefs of districts,” indicated by the prefect of the French and replaced southern and antarctic Lands every year during the southern summer. They are volunteers who become responsible for fields as varied as the management of the Environnement, the Sécurité of the goods and of the people, the Logistique, etc Garants of the Community life that insulation can sometimes make difficult, they provide also the functions traditionally reserved for a Maire, an officer of registry office, and an judiciary police officer. The role of chief of district of the Ad3elie coast is allocated normally to the chief of the Base the Antarctic Dumont d' Urville.

Scattered islands

The islands Based da India, Europa, Glorieuses, Juan da Nova and Tromelin was integrated into the territory of the southern and antarctic Lands French pursuant to article 14 of the law n° 2007-224 of February 21st, 2007 and in accordance with the 11° of this article which made their integration effective as of the promulgation of the law.

The Éparses islands constitute the fifth district of the TAAF. The chief of district is based with Saint-Pierre-of-The-Meeting.

Previously, the Scattered Islands were managed separately in the name of the State by the administrator of the Éparses islands, whose load was entrusted (by nomination of the ministry for overseas) to the prefect of the Meeting (the Éparses islands never belonged to the territory of the Meeting, since the creation of this overseas department) then as from 2005 with the prefect of the TAAF.

The Éparses islands continue to be the subject of territorial claims on behalf of Madagascar for Bassas da India, Europa, the Glorious ones and Juan da Nova, on behalf of the Fédération of the Comoros for the Glorieuses islands and on behalf of the République of Maurice for the Tromelin island.

Environment

The terrestrial communities of the southern islands relatively poor and are sometimes degraded, but the Endémisme is high there: 90% of the Invertébré S of Crozet live only on the subantarctic islands of the Indian Ocean and 55% are present only on this archipelago. These ecosystems play the part of sentinels in term of climatic Modifications and impact of the hole in the Couche of ozone.

Birds

Half of the world population of seven species or subspecies of marine birds lives or survives in the TAF. The islands Crozet and Kerguelen are among richest of the world in birds, with respectively 34 and 33 nicheuses species in communities the most diversified in the world and with manpower reaching several million birds. (25 million birds nicheurs only for the Crozet islands). The record of biomass of bird was established there: one counts there 60 tons of birds with the km ².

The penguins are most known and most numerous. Four species dominate: the King penguin, the Penguin papou, the jumping Gorfou and the Gorfou gilded (or macaroni), in colonies of tens even to hundreds of thousands of individuals.

At least 8 species of albatross live there, like 25 species of petrels, the cormorants, skuas, seagulls, terns, checkerworks of the Cape, etc including two species less dependant on the sea: chionis and ducks of Eaton (endemic). Amsterdam island depends the largest population on albatross with yellow nozzle in the world, as well as the only population of Albatross of Amsterdam, endemic species at the edge of the extinction (cf Red Liste of the UICN), whose 40 couples reproduce only on the plate of the Peat bogs (alt. : 600 m). Various subspecies are endemic in these islands (ex: Cormorant of Kerguelen).

Marine mammals

Three species of pinnipèdes (Sea elephant, Otary of Kerguelen, subantarctic Otary of Amsterdam) reproduce on these coasts. They until the end of the 19th century were continued by the hunters, without however disappearing, which allowed the reconstitution of certain populations since their protection. 400.000 sea elephants reproduce now annually in Kerguelen. The number of the otaries of Amsterdam went back to 40.000 to 50.000, whereas they had almost disappeared (less than one hundred during the counting of 1956).

Last nine species of Cétacé S are still observed around the Kerguelen islands, of which the Dolphin of Commerson (still common endemic subspecies in the area). In Crozet, Kerguelen and Amsterdam, many orcs to drive out the young sea elephants, fish otaries and benches.

Poisson

Stocks halieutics among are overexploited there in the world, but an illegal fishing developed, in particular southern Légine, predatory fish from the depths with high commercial value, fished with the Palangre which has also an major impact on the albatross and large petrels in strong decline in these areas (2/3 of the population disappeared for certain species).

France set up a satellite monitoring, with on the spot the national marine (on the French ZEE), in bond with Australia and South Africa. Independent controllers are present at edge of the legal boats to check the respect of the quotas catch (stopped of the prefect of the TAAF on opinion of the national Muséum of natural history).

Threats

The climatic surpêche and modifications are the first threats. The birds suffer from the accidental catches (fishing with the trawl line), from competition by surpêche and species introduced into certain islands (cats and rats especially) whereas the warming is likely to move away towards the south from several hundreds kilometers the preys from the King penguin and of many species. Note: the use of racks rather than of trawl lines could decrease the ecological impact of this fishing.

Economy

The interest of these territories is in their immense maritime zone, and in particular ZEE (exclusive economic Zone). An important extension of the continental shelf legal seems possible beyond the ZEE, in accordance with article 76 of the Convention of the United Nations on the Right of the Sea; this zone could contain mineral resources, such as for example hydrates of methane. It should be noted that the Ad3elie coast does not profit from an Exclusive Zone Economic, which does not make it possible France to ensure the regulation of the high-sea fishing of this territory.

The official currency of the TAAF is the Euro (and not the frankly Pacifique used in the communities of overseas of the Pacific, although the Ad3elie coast is closer to the Australia and the New Caledonia that Réunion); it was the Franc French before 1999.

In the Indian Ocean

The three Districts of the Southern Lands (Crozet, Kerguelen, Saint-Paul and Amsterdam) all are characterized by their oceanic environment and them natural volcanic :

• St-Paul and Amsterdam is located on the dorsal Be-Indian,
• Crozet on a oceanic plate on the side East of the Indian Western dorsal,
• Kerguelen on a vast aseismic plate between the two branches of these dorsals.

See also the monographs devoted to each one of these islands.

These fundamental data induce the specific characteristics (nature, environment, geopolitics, economy) of these grounds placed under French responsibility .

The exclusive economic Zone is rich required fish. One fishes there in particular the légine, very appreciated Japanese, which consumes it in Sashimi. However, the population of this species was reduced considerably in the other zones of the Antarctic Ocean.

The stock management is done within the framework of the Convention for the conservation of fauna and the marine flora of the Antarctic signed with Canberra (Australia) in 1980.

In October 1986, France created the shipping register of the southern and antarctic Lands French commonly called house of Kerguelen intended for the recording of fishing vessels and commercial, to authorize exceptions in the Law the labor which are not tolerated under house “France”.

The fishing permits are granted in a limited way and the periods of fishing as well as the tonnage of the catches in the zone are severely controlled. Only six armaments réunionnais like Sapmer or Cape Bourbon currently has the right to fish in the zone. One of them belongs to the family of the Politician Jean-Paul Virapoullé.

In fact, the illegal captures developed a few years ago in this very wide but isolated and not easily controllable zone. In 2001, 14.000 tons of fish were fished there illegally, four times more than what was authorized.

, Helped since by the monitoring by satellite radar of the sector, the National marine did not cease intervening to control the traffic in the zone also borrowed by certain ships of traffickers, and where cases of boarding of ships or piracy could be observed in the past. Between 1997 and 2005, 23 ships fishing illegally in the zone were hailed. Some were cast at broad Western coast of the Meeting, others were recovered by the public authorities and from now on are employed with the fight against fishing without license.

Among the other resources of TAAF , one finds the emission of postage stamps, philatelic memories and phone cards sold with the collectors of the Métropole.

There exists also a limited tourist activity, with regular sea links at the beginning of the Réunion (whose main customers are scientific researchers and amateurs of polar adventure).

There does not exist any harbor installation in the TAAF except for a hold of unloading to Port-with-French and a summary hold in Amsterdam. The old installations of treatment of the fishing of the Saint-Paul island are in ruins.

In the Antarctic zone

The Ad3elie coast shelters the only French base in the Antarctic: the Base the Antarctic Dumont d' Urville.

There is also a Franco-Italian Base the Antarctic Concordia, on the Dôme C on a plate very far away from the coasts (this base however is located out of the zone of French sovereignty, a little more in the West in the zone of Australian claim, and this establishment could be possible only under the terms of the treaty of the Antarctic for the only scientific use; the administrator of the base is named among the personnel present, on their proposal, and in agreement of the French governments, Italian and Australian and of the secretariat of the assembly in charge of the application of the international treaty and his control; he makes locally apply the rules of police force and safety on the basis on behalf of the French governments and Italian, according to a reglementation adopted by the participants who decide àl' advances applicable jurisdiction).

Forwardings towards the Ad3elie coast are normally authorized only for the scientific research and the logistics or the control of the installations of the base Dumont d' Urville. They must be the subject of a request preliminary (except for international control) and of a description to the Secretariat of the Treaty on the Antarctic.

Control Energy

Within the framework of a partnership between the University of the Meeting (Physics laboratory of the Building industry and the Systems LPBS) and the engineering services of TAAF, an ambitious programme of control of energy in order to integrate renewable energies began at the beginning of 2006. " The current world energy crisis related mainly on the speculation and the future rarefaction of the Oil from here twenty to thirty years, carries out us to intensify the actions in reduction of the energy expenditure in the bases of the Southern Lands and the Antarctic Françaises and to develop to with it the integration of the renewable energies, while taking some of account the strong constraints maintenance logistics (4 maritime supplies per annum only by the Marion Dufresne) ".

Transport and tourism

Outdistance as the crow flies between the Réunion, TAAF and the Tasmanie (Australia):

• Island Amsterdam - Island Saint-Paul: 80 km.
• Meeting - Islands Crozet: 2.860 km.
• Meeting - Island Amsterdam and Island Saint-Paul: 2.880 km.
• Meeting - Islands Kerguelen: 3.500 km.
• Islands Kerguelen - Island Amsterdam and Island Saint-Paul: 1.420 km.
• Islands Kerguelen - Islands Crozet: 1.480 km.
• Islands Kerguelen - Ad3elie coast: 2.700 km.
• Tasmanie (Australia) - Ad3elie coast: 2.700 km.

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