The retreat of the glacier snouts in the Kerguelen islands is clearly related to the slight warming and the reduced precipitation over the last 25 years. Organic deposits sampled on the new deglaciated areas have been dated using 14C method. Information on the ecological conditions that predominated during the formation of these peat deposits was assessed from their fossil diatom flora content. The range of the glacier fluctuations is discussed. Two warm periods are recognized, 10,000 and 5000 yr B.P., respectively. A third period, 2200-900 yr B.P., was characterised by small fluctuations of the glacier snouts. The current deglaciation, which began at the end of the Little Ice Age and accelerated 25 yr ago, is the most important since the beginning of the holocene period.