François André Jean Marie Doumenge (9 October 1926 – 14 July 2008) was a

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

geographer who specialized in marine and island geography. His work focused on

oceanography Oceanography (), also known as oceanology, sea science, ocean science, and marine science, is the scientific study of the ocean, including its physics, chemistry, biology, and geology. It is an Earth science, which covers a wide range of to ...

, the socio-economics of tuna fisheries, fisheries and Japanese aquaculture, and the evolution of the archipelagos of Melanesia, Polynesia and Micronesia.

Biography

François André Jean Marie Doumenge was born in

Viane, Tarn Viane (; ) is a commune in the Tarn department in southern France. Geography The river Gijou flows westward through the southern part of the commune and crosses the village. See also *Communes of the Tarn department The following is a list ...

on 9 October 1926. Between 1946 and 1950 he studied at Montpellier, Aix, earning bachelor's degrees in Geography and Law. In 1966 he was given a State Doctorate of Arts (Geography). François Doumenge began his academic career at the

Paul Valéry University, Montpellier III Paul may refer to: People * Paul (given name), a given name, including a list of people * Paul (surname), a list of people * Paul the Apostle, an apostle who wrote many of the books of the New Testament * Ray Hildebrand, half of the singing duo ...

, in the Department of Geography. :1948–1953: Certified Professor, Paulhan College :1953–1957: Associate Professor, Lycee Montpellier :1957–1961: Assistant, Faculty of Arts, Montpellier :1961–1966: Assistant Professor, Faculty of Letters, Montpellier :1966–1967: Lecturer, Faculty of Arts, Montpellier :1967–1968: Lecturer, Universities of Abidjan and Montpellier :1968–1979: Chair Professor of Geography and tropical Oceanography :1979–1988: Professor of the Chair of ethology and animal species Conservation, National Museum of Natural History During his academic career, he held other positions: :1967–1970: Director of the Institute of Tropical Geography at the University of Abidjan,

Ivory Coast Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire and officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital city of Yamoussoukro is located in the centre of the country, while its largest List of ci ...

:1971–1973: Project leader for the FAO – UNDP to the Agency for fisheries development in the South Pacific Islands As planning assistant for Municipality of Montpellier from 1959 until 1977, he launched creation of the ''Polygône'' center under the mandate of

François Delmas François Delmas (24 August 1913 – 3 March 2002) was a French politician. He was mayor of Montpellier from 1959 to 1977 and briefly a member of the National Assembly. He was also Secretary of State for the Environment in Raymond Barre Raym ...

. As deputy mayor of Montpellier, François Doumenge was given the project of creating a zoo, the "parc zoologique de Lunaret", which opened its doors in 1964. The design had large enclosures separated from the public by deep ditches, with no cages or fences, so the animals could live in a more natural environment. He was rector of the Academy of the West Indies and French Guiana from 1976 to 1979. In June 1979 he was elected a professor at the National Museum of Natural History, to the chair of ethology and conservation of animal species. This position included giving direction to the

Paris Zoological Park The Paris Zoological Park (), formerly known as the Bois de Vincennes Zoological Park (), and commonly called the Vincennes Zoo, is a facility of the National Museum of Natural History, located in the 12th arrondissement of Paris, which covers ...

and the

Ménagerie du Jardin des Plantes The Ménagerie du Jardin des Plantes () is a zoo in Paris, France, belonging to the botanical garden Jardin des Plantes. Founded in 1794, largely with animals brought from the royal zoo of the Palace of Versailles, abandoned because of the French ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, the

Haute Touche Zoological Park The Haute Touche Zoological Park (, ) is a zoo and safari park in France. It is located in Obterre, and is part of the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle.Muséum national d'histoire naturelle: Réserve zoologique de la Haute-Touche.' Retrieve ...

Obterre Obterre () is a commune in the Indre department in central France. Geography The commune is located in the parc naturel régional de la Brenne. Population See also *Communes of the Indre department The following is a list of the 241 co ...

and the

Cleres Zoological Park Cleres Zoological Park (Parc Zoologique De Clères) is located in Clères, north of Rouen, France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories ...

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. He also directed four the zoos run by the National Museum of Natural History (1979–1988) and the

Oceanographic Museum The Oceanographic Museum (), is a museum of marine sciences in Monaco City, Monaco. This building is part of the Institut océanographique, which is committed to sharing its knowledge of the oceans. History The Oceanographic Museum was ...

of Monaco (1988–2001). He was made professor emeritus of the National Museum of Natural History. President of ORSTOM, now the Institute of Development Research, between 1986 and 1988. He was also in 1988 made Secretary General of the International Commission for the Scientific Exploration of the Mediterranean. From 1991 he was the titular commissioner for Monaco to the International Whaling Commission. Between 1991 and 1994 he was also chairman of the Committee on Ecology of the

International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the stat ...

Awards

* Officer of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

, 1993. * Knight of

National Order of Merit (France) National Order of Merit may refer to: * National Order of Merit (Algeria) * National Order of Merit (Bhutan) * National Order of Merit (Brazil) * National Order of Merit (Ecuador) * Ordre national du Mérite (France) * National Order of Merit ...

, 1974. *

Ordre des Palmes Académiques A suite, in Western classical music, is an ordered set of instrumental or orchestral/concert band pieces. It originated in the late 14th century as a pairing of dance tunes; and grew in scope so that by the early 17th century it comprised up to ...

, 1978. *

Ordre du Mérite Maritime The () is a French order established on 9 February 1930 for services rendered by seafarers to recognise the risks involved and the services rendered by seamen, and reflect the important economic role of the Merchant Navy to the country. The or ...

, 1995. * Ordre du Nichan El-Anouar, 1961. *

Order of Saint-Charles The Order of Saint Charles (; Monégasque: ''U̍rdine de San Carlu'') is a dynastic order of knighthood established in Monaco on 15 March 1858. Award This order rewards service to the State or Prince. In particular cases, it may be grante ...

, Monaco, 1993. *

Order of the Rising Sun The is a Japanese honors system, Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese government, created on 10 April 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge feat ...

, Japan, 1997.

Publications

*''Le Japon et l'Exploitation de la mer'', Société Languedocienne de Géographie, Montpellier, 1961. *''Géographie des mers'',

Presses universitaires de France Presses universitaires de France (PUF; ), founded in 1921 by Paul Angoulvent (1899–1976), is a French publishing house. Recent company history The financial and legal structure of the Presses Universitaires de France was completely restruc ...

, 1965. *''L'homme dans le Pacifique Sud'' (étude géographique),

Musée de l'Homme The Musée de l'Homme (; literally "Museum of Mankind" or "Museum of Humanity") is an anthropology museum in Paris, France. It was established in 1937 by Paul Rivet for the 1937 ''Exposition Internationale des Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moder ...

, 1966. *''Actualités de la pêche et de l'aquaculture japonaises'', Société Languedocienne de Géographie, Montpellier, 1975. *''Les Antilles françaises'',

, 1989, rééd. 1993. *''L'Histoire des pêches thonières'',

ICCAT The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) is a tuna regional fishery management organisation, responsible for the management and conservation of tuna and tuna-like species in the Atlantic Ocean and adjacent seas. ...

, Madrid, 1996. *''La pêche en Méditerranée'', Cahiers du CERM, Tome 2, 2000.

External links

* Le numéro spécial de la revu
''Conflits actuels'' consacré à François Doumenge
: ''Une géopolitique du Pacifique et de ses îles'', N°23-24, avril 2010. {{DEFAULTSORT:Doumenge, Francois 1926 births 2008 deaths Officers of the Order of Saint-Charles 20th-century French geographers