Administratively, the Petite Terre Islands are dependent on the commune (municipality) of La Désirade.

[3] The fauna of the two islands is essentially composed of Lesser Antillean iguana with 9,500 individuals, migratory birds and sea turtles previously hunted for their eggs, their fat and their shells.

The richness of the fauna is completed by a great variety of fish species and larvae protected from the swell by the lagoon and the coral reef.

At the same time, the flora is very abundant and, for example, the guaiac tree - a protected species that has practically disappeared from the Lesser Antilles -, which was once used to make billiard balls and pulleys, and the agave, which blooms only once in its life, are protected species.

Thus, for ecological reasons, to regulate the influx of tourists and for better conservation of this fauna and flora, the islands of Petite-Terre have been classified as a nature reserve since September 1998, with an extension to the 842-hectare marine area surrounding the two islets