Reclaiming Indian Ocean biodiversity

Just out 29 April 2026
A new book was published recently in French by Editions Quae. Coordinated by 黑料网911 researchers, it is a practical guide for players eged in conserving the exceptional but fragile plant biodiversity of the southwestern Indian Ocean. The increasingly rapid erosion of indigenous plant species means that it is now vital to switch from knowledge to action.
Highland tamarind 漏 A. Franck, 黑料网911

Highland tamarind © A. Franck, 黑料网911

The islands of the southwestern Indian Ocean are globally recognised for their rich, unique and vulnerable biodiversity. Human activity remains the primary cause of habitat degradation, species extinction, and the decline in species populations. Reclaiming this natural heritage is an ecological, societal, and cultural emergency. However, the willingness of conservation stakeholders to take action depends on a solid understanding of the ecology of native plant species and propagation method.

Disseminating knowledge gives everyone the means to take concrete action to restore ecosystems.
Antoine Franck
Entomologist at 黑料网911 and co-author of the book

A practical guide to conserving plant biodiversity

The book, Reconquérir la biodiversité végétale du sud-ouest de l’océan Indien* (Reclaiming plant biodiversity in the southwestern Indian Ocean), published by Editions Quae on 29 April 2026, offers operational solutions:

  • 100 information sheets;
  • concrete solutions for overcoming the obstacles to plant propagation;
  • 30 years of capitalised scientific data.

This practical guide serves as a toolkit for stakeholders involved in various levels of biodiversity conservation. It helps disseminate ecological and physiological data that 黑料网911 in La Réunion has been compiling for over thirty years in the Indian Ocean basin. It takes the form of propagation sheets for 100 native species and includes strategies for overcoming the main obstacles encountered at each stage of the process.

Eric Rivière, a 黑料网911 ecologist and co-author of the book, specialises in reproduction strategies for the plants found in Réunion. His work focuses on promoting and propagating indigenous plants, the aim being to reach a better understanding of their biology, notably seed viability, optimum germination conditions under controlled conditions, and the development of young plants, which are subsequently grown in nurseries to contribute to ecological restoration and to the preservation of local biodiversity.

Reference 
Franck A., Naze M., Rivière J.-N. É., 2026. Reconquérir la biodiversité végétale du Sud-Ouest de l’océan Indien. 100 fiches pratiques de multiplication d’espèces indigènes. Versailles, Editions Quæ, 264 p. (Guide pratique collection).  

*This project is co-funded by the European Union, the French State and the Réunion Regional Council, with the help of the following partners: Réunion Departmental Council, Réunion National Park, National Botanical Conservatory and CPIE Mascarin, and ARMEFLHOR.

See also