Wallis Island

Wallis, part of the French overseas collectivity of Wallis and Futuna, is a small volcanic island located in the tropical South Pacific. Despite its modest size, the island is home to a surprisingly rich and understudied marine flora, including a unique assemblage of macroalgae. The island's algal biodiversity reflects its geographic isolation, warm tropical waters, and the influence of surrounding reef ecosystems.

Many species found here are typical of Indo-Pacific coral reef environments, including representatives of red algae (Rhodophyta), green algae (Chlorophyta), and brown algae (Phaeophyceae). However, due to the island’s remoteness and relatively low levels of scientific exploration, the full extent of its algal diversity remains largely undocumented.

The scientific campaign in Wallis, led by Mayalen Zubia and carried out with the support of the EkoAlg association (funded by IFRECOR), the Environmental Department of Wallis and Futuna, and Christophe Vieira from Jeju University, made it possible to update the inventory of seaweed species in Wallis (the previous one conducted by Claude Payri in 2002) and to assess the current spread of certain proliferating species.

The specimens are currently undergoing DNA identification.