Cartovege: Volume 1 of the Guide to Habitats of the Southern Territories

Published on 14/01/2025

Splendid! From its content to its illustrations, the guide of the natural terrestrial habitats of the French Southern Territories brings together previously unpublished knowledge that is so important for preserving these fragile territories. Well done to the Cartovege team, who, in keeping with their commitment to sharing, are offering free access to the digital version (in French).

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Richly illustrated, the guide presents the 46 types of habitats identified by the Cartovege project on Possession Island in the Crozet archipelago. © S. Traclet et D. Espel

"Cartovege is a fine spatial ecology project, co-constructed by scientists and managers to rapidly propose concrete solutions to conservation issues," emphasised Diane Espel as she brought the first phase of to a close the project at the end of November 2023. A post-doctoral researcher in remote sensing and ecological modelling, Diane was already showing us, with infectious passion, the first plates of their future publication, based on Cartovege's very first work, which consisted of listing and describing precisely the types of habitats on Possession Island in the Crozet archipelago.

A year and a lot of work later, the team is proud to announce the publication of the first Guide of the Natural Terrestrial Habitats of the French Southern Territories.

Between science and the beauty of the Earth, a unique book

Packed with hitherto unpublished knowledge and beautifully illustrated, the 202-page book is available from Quæ editions. Although the paper version is subject to a charge, the project is maintaining its sharing policy with a free digital version (pdf format, in French).

Presenting the 46 types of vegetated (or non-vegetated), native or exotic habitats, the book is now a common reference for all scientists and managers in the French Southern Territories for a variety of applications, such as monitoring changes in sub-Antarctic vegetation, implementing measures to combat exotic and harmful species or modelling habitats favorable to heritage plant and animal species.

Just as importantly, this guide will also enable interoperability between scientific programmes and consistency in the data collected, thereby promoting understanding of ecosystems, conservation issues and hence decision-making.

🖱️ Order the Habitats Guide from Quæ Editions

Habitat type sheet.

The Amsterdam Island Habitat Guide Coming Soon

Drawing on its expertise in the Crozet Archipelago, the project team applied its methodology and research to Saint Paul and Amsterdam Islands through the Cartovege² project, with results that exceed expectations.

The second volume in the series, the Guide to Terrestrial Habitats of Amsterdam Island, will be published in 2026. Sign up for the SCO newsletter so you don’t miss its release!