Performing photo-quadrat in Ludao, Taiwan
I am born in South of France. Growing up between the Alps & Provence,
I have always been amazed by Nature & its diversity.
Remembering my grand-father's stories about Polynesian reefs, I took on the adventure of discovering
coral reefs ecology during my second year of master degree & could not consider another path for myself ever since.
My research focuses on coral-associated ecosystems, especially within the Kuroshio region. I am based in Taiwan &
currently a postdoctoral researcher at the Institute of Oceanography of National Taiwan University (IONTU-FRElab).
I have an interest on both modern & paleo-reefs as past ecosystems can hold crucial informations for scientists to understand better reef ecosystems & predict their future in the ongoing changing era.
However, the reciproque is also true. It is important to have a good knowledge of reef's functioning using today's reefs in order to understand past-reefs functioning & their trajectories through geological periods.
When you've finished washing & dressing each morning, you must tend your planet.
- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry in The Little Prince (1943) -
Since July 2021, I have joined the team of Pr. Vianney Denis at the Functional Reef Ecology lab (IONTU, Taiwan)
to work on the 100 Taiwan Reefs Matter (100TRM) project funded by the Ocean Conservation Administration (OCA, Taiwan).
To date [07/2023], we performed field investigations in 101 locations, using transect and photo-quadrat methods. Our survey includes numerous remote islets
such as Penjiayu (彭佳嶼), Mianhuayu (棉花嶼), Huapingyu (花瓶嶼), Turtle Island (龜山島), Ludao (綠島), Lanyu (蘭嶼), Xiaoliuqiu (小琉球), Penghu archipelago (澎湖) as well as remote sites such as Qixingyan (七星岩).
In Taiwan, numerous governing agencies are implementing various MPAs types & do not necessarly consults each other in their establishment or management. It can occasionally lead to complex overlap between MPAs &/or managing agencies (see maps below). Such situations are unlikely to provided better or more efficient ecosystems management, highlighting the necessity for a countrywide evaluation of the different types of MPAs existing in Taiwan and a better consultation between the various governing agencies involved in both MPAs implementation and management.