Glorieuses Marine Nature Park
The Glorieuses Marine Nature Park ( French: Parc naturel marin des Glorieuses ) is located in the waters around the Îles Glorieuses archipelago of the same name , which under the umbrella term Îles Éparses are among the French possessions in the Indian Ocean . It is located north of Madagascar at the entrance to the Mozambique Strait and is almost uninhabited.
Park management
The marine nature park was founded on February 22nd, 2012. The park administration is based in Iloni , municipality of Dembeni , on the island of Mayotte ( 12 ° 50 ′ 39 ″ S , 45 ° 11 ′ 29 ″ O ). The nature park is located in the exclusive economic zone , which extends 200 nautical miles around the island and covers a sea area of around 43,000 km². It is managed jointly with the adjacent marine nature park Mayotte .
Biotope of the nature park
The nature park has a valuable coral reef with a length of 17 km and an area of 165 km². This zone is used as a habitat by numerous endangered species: sea turtles , marine mammals , sharks , rays and sea birds . This archipelago , almost unharmed by human civilization, forms an excellent platform for scientific research with its rich biodiversity . The last wildlife inventory identified close to a thousand species, including more than 150 species of cnidarians and 349 reef-dwelling fish species .
Iles Glorieuses beach
Coral reef
Satellite image of the Îles Glorieuses
