Dive the coral reefs of the French islands with Alexis Rosenfeld

Created in 2010, the Mayotte Marine Nature Park was the first to be designated by France in its overseas territories. The waters around the island are home to an incredible level of biodiversity. With most of its coral reefs protected and only marginally affected by pollution and bleaching, underwater life is dense here.

The Mayotte Marine Nature Park teams are on site to undertake real-time monitoring of reef health and trends in parameters such as temperature.

Central to environmental concerns on the island of Mayotte in the Camoro Islands of the Indian Ocean, its coral reefs are reasonably healthy, with relatively few damaged areas.

It is not unusual to come across beautiful green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) in the Mayotte lagoon. Essentially herbivorous, these turtles graze the seagrass meadows.

Corals provide shelter and perfect conditions for a spectacular level of biomass. Here, anemones are home to clownfish among the branches of staghorn coral (Acropora sp.).

In the Gambier Islands of French Polynesia, snorkelling is the best way to marvel at the beauty of the underwater world in the Taravai channel. In the crystal clear waters of the Pacific Ocean, you can see an enormous number of Acropora corals.

In Moorea lagoon, teams of divers are propagating cuttings of coral on coral trees.

French biologist Yann Lacube is researching the effects of ocean acidification on coral. He works on the programme run by Dr. Laetitia Hedouin at CRIOBE, one of the most highly respected French laboratories engaged in coral ecosystem research. Since 2010, CRIOBE has been running the CORAIL Laboratory of Excellence involving 9 overseas institutions and 4 universities.