Diving into the heart of the canyons

Located just a few kilometres from our coastline, the submarine canyons are carved deep out of the continental shelf befor plunging down into the depths.They offer a wide variety of landscapes and are home to a rich diversity of life forms. However, for a long time they remained mysterious environments that only a few adventurers had the opportunity to explore.

Starting in 2008, a major campaign was launched to explore the 22 canyons off the Mediterranean continental coast, then Corsica's 12 western canyons. In this publication, the Parc national des Calanques and the Office français de la biodiversité reveal rare images of these canyons.

Rather than just a catalogue to go with the "Plongée au coeur des canyons" exhibition, this collective work gathers contributions from scientists, area managers, exploration specialists and others, who all share their discoveries with passion and report on our current knowledge of these deep underwater valleys.

Published for the IUCN World Conservation Congress, this work aims to raise awareness of these ecosystems' beauty and fragility. Forty years on, the words of the French ocean explorer Commander Jacques Cousteau are still relevant :
"Ocean exploration and research are far from finished and still have a fair few surprises up their sleeves, with as many promises as there are threats".