The missions were established by a scientific committee made up of members of the Société des explorateurs français (French Explorers’ Society) and the Société de géographie (Geography Society), with the assistance of the main French scientific institutions – CNRS (National Centre for Scientific Research), IRD (Institute for Research and Development), Natural History Museum, universities etc. – through the Ministry of Further Education.

The two geographical zones in which these missions will be taking place are in the great rivers of South America – Amazon, Orinoco, Parana and the Patagonian canals – during the first year, and in the islands of the Pacific that are affected by the rising sea levels as a result of global warming – Polynesia, Micronesia and Melanesia – during the following year.

South America

In the Amazon and Orinoco river basins in Brazil and Venezuela, La Boudeuse will be investigating the following, non-exhaustive list of issues depending on the requirements and discoveries made in situ, the “field” always taking the lead:

• Farmers without land and deforestation caused by extensive and uncontrolled farming of virgin land (illegal deforestation, soil erosion, modification of biotopes).
• Environmental impacts of rubber cultivation.
• Consequences of the growth in organised tourism on Indian territories (changes to cultures and lifestyles, environmental consequences).
• Impact of mercury pollution in rivers by gold miners (visible pollution of the water, invisible contamination of fish and other species of animal, destruction of the biotope).
• Human and environmental problems faced by indigenous groups as a result of “pioneer fronts” (destruction of biotopes, deforestation, changes to indigenous cultures, social justice and sustainable development).
• Ecological and human impacts of large mining and forestry companies (soil erosion, disappearance of biodiversity).
• The particular problems caused by diamond exploitation and its impact on the environment..
• Everywhere: general geophotographic study of the areas covered, general inventory of the flora and fauna, study of the possibilities for sustainable development, human problems of social justice in these damaged environments.

In the Parana River basin in Argentina, investigations will concentrate mainly on the following issues:

• Uncontrolled urban development.
• Environmental impacts due to industrial expansion.
• Transformation of traditional cattle farming practised by the “gauchos” of old and the human and environmental consequences.
• Everywhere: general geophotographic study of the areas covered, general inventory of the flora and fauna, study of the possibilities for sustainable development, human problems of social justice in these damaged environments.

Moving onto the Patagonian canals, on the borders of Argentina and Chile, La Boudeuse and its crew will study the following, non-exhaustive issues:

• Consequences of new human colonisation on these virgin lands.
• Problems caused by the current growth in intensive fishing.
• Study of the impact caused by the establishment of new fish farms.
• Everywhere: general geophotographic study of the areas covered, general inventory of the flora and fauna, study of the possibilities for sustainable development.

Pacific Ocean

Once La Boudeuse has successfully navigated past the legendary Cape Horn, the schooner and its team will enter the Pacific Ocean to embark on the study of a new and tragic problem: one that could be called “the disappearing islands”.

As a result of global warming and the inevitable rise in sea levels it causes, some areas will be flooded over the coming generations, in particular in estuaries and alluvial plains. Although affected to varying degrees, no coastline on any continent will be spared

Amongst the areas that are at risk of disappearing are a certain number of islands. These are located pretty much everywhere in the world but especially in the Indonesian archipelago, the Bering straits near Alaska and the Indian and Pacific oceans. There are even some islands at risk in French Polynesia.

A number of these islands are inhabited. And some are so isolated that they do not even have an airstrip to connect them to the outside world. They can only be reached by boat.

La Boudeuse and its crew will concentrate their investigations on three of these isolated islands: one in Polynesia, the second in Micronesia and the third in Melanesia. These islands will be chosen over the coming year amongst dozens of possible contenders and will, by their nature, be representative and symbolic of the general problem posed by the rising sea levels throughout the world and its consequences on the people living in these areas and their natural environment.

Given their isolation, each of these three islands are worlds apart, both from a human and cultural point of view and from an environmental and natural point of view. The cultures of these human communities have unique characteristics, even if they can be linked to wider cultural groups and the endemic species are numerous, whether botanical, entomological or zoological.

All of this is in danger of disappearing.

For the first time in the history of humanity, human populations have the foreknowledge that their “homelands” will not exist in three or four generations’ time. And this also spells the disappearance of the cultures and natural environments of these people, even though from a practical point of view they will have the necessary time to leave their islands and settle elsewhere – becoming at the same time, the first “climate immigrants” in the political history of mankind.

The main focus of this second part of the Terre-Océan mission concentrates on three areas that form the basis of their work: Etudier, Study, save, preserve