Les forêts en outre-mer : un enjeu mondial pour la biodiversité

The forests in overseas territories are highly varied and shelter huge and often unique biological riches due to high rates of endemicity. Four of the five biodiversity hot spots in France are located in overseas territories, making for the country’s global responsibilities in this area. Over time, their surface area has decreased and their conservation status has changed in some places. They are under various forms of pressure: urbanisation, agricultural development, gold digging, etc. The value of these overseas forests is now better recognized and many measures have been undertaken in these territories: creation of protected areas, control of invasive species, enhanced productivity through forest-based industry uses and ecotourism. Nonetheless, they are still seriously threatened and secure land tenure system appears to be a pre-requisite for conducting public policies of conservation. Better knowledge of how the ecosystems function, which is still very fragmentary, is essential to enhance efficiency of the management and conservation measures undertaken. Finally, it is crucial for the future that the efforts of public players be pooled and coordinated within the framework of an overall, network-based approach to conservation.