îles Glorieuses

Credit: Credit: NASA, Posted on: Sunday, 3 August 2003, 06:00 CDT Download full size image

The îles Eparses (scattered islets) dot the Indian Ocea to the west and north of Madagascar. The islands were protected by the French government in 1975 because of their importance for turtles and seabird nesting.

The above photograph (ISS002-E-6913) shows details of the reefs surrounding îles Glorieuses, one group in the îles Eparses, and was taken 17 June 2001 from the International Space Station. The image was used to plan the 2002-2003 field expeditions conducted by Agence pour la Recherche et la Valorisation Marines, based in Réunion (ARVAM) and partners. The photograph served as a base map for field cartography of the geomorphological and ecological zones of the reefs. These maps supported biological inventories and surveys of coral reef health using the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network and Reef Check protocols.

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