Île de la Possession



Île de la Possession, or Possession Island, formerly Île de la Prise de Possession, is part of the Subantarctic Crozet Archipelago. Administratively, it is part of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands. It is an important nesting site for seabirds.

Description
Île de la Possession lies in the eastern group of the archipelago, about 20 km west of Île de l'Est (East Island). With an area of 150 km² it is the largest island of the group and the only inhabited one. It has a rugged landscape of mountains cut by deep glaciated valleys. The coastal areas and valleys are covered with herbaceous subantarctic vegetation. It is uninhabited except for the staff of a research station.

Alfred Faure research station
The Alfred Faure research station (Base Alfred-Faure) is located at the eastern end of Île de la Possession, at an elevation of 143 m above Baie Marin (Port Alfred). It comprises about 12 main buildings and supports up to about 45 visiting personnel. It is named after a leader of the base in the 1960s. A 1.6 km road and aerial cableway connect the base to the sea, where supplies are brought by the vessel Marion Dufresne. The daily temperature at the site varies annually from an average high of 7.9°C to an average low of 2.7°C.

History
In 1840 the Ross expedition anchored near the island to bring provisions to a stranded group of eleven elephant-seal hunters.

Birds
The island has been identified as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International as a breeding site for seabirds, of which there are at least 26 breeding species. Birds nesting in relatively large numbers include king, northern rockhopper and macaroni penguins, wandering, sooty and light-mantled albatrosses, northern giant petrels, medium-billed prions, Kerguelen and soft-plumaged petrels, and South Georgia diving petrels. Other island breeders in smaller numbers are southern giant petrels, grey-headed albatrosses and Kerguelen terns. Crozet blue-eyed shags, black-faced sheathbills and Eaton's pintails are resident. The smaller birds nest only at higher altitudes because of their vulnerability to rat predation at lower levels.

Other wildlife
The goats that were introduced have been eradicated, though black rats remain and are a threat to the birdlife. Both Antarctic and subantarctic fur seals, as well as southern elephant seals, breed on the island. A pod of about 80 killer whales inhabits the surrounding waters. Two plants and 59 arthropod species endemic to the archipelago are present.