World's largest protected marine area

A decision by the Government of New Caledonia to protect its natural wealth and create the world’s largest protected area on land or sea has been hailed as an historic moment in marine conservation and sustainable development by environmental groups.

By legislative decree, New Caledonia President Harold Martin and the French territory’s political leadership legally established the Natural Park of the Coral Sea (Le Parc Naturel de la Mer de Corail). The new law brings under careful management a multi-use, marine protected area which totals a massive 1.3 million square kilometres, making it the largest protected area in the world -- larger than Alaska and three times the size of Germany.

Essential to people, biodiversity and climate resilience, the park’s ecosystems generate around 2500-3000 tons of fish each year, providing food to New Caledonia’s quarter of a million people and an economic driver for the territory’s sustainable economy.

"New Caledonians have always understood how much we depend upon nature – especially our oceans," said Jean-Christophe Lefeuvre, Conservation International’s program director for New Caledonia. "The careful and thoughtful management of natural resources is essential to long-term human well-being. This legislation sends a powerful message that investing in the value nature can provide the basis for a healthy and sustainable society."

Meantime, one of the island’s main economic activities is nickel mining. New Caledonia contains about one-fourth of the planet’s known nickel resources. But because minerals like nickel are finite, a longer-term source of income needs to be established. To this end, New Cal should grow its 'blue economy' through sustainable fishing, tourism and other pursuits that can be a source of livelihood for generations to come. At present, the lack of environmental controls over nickel mining in the region is an environmental concern.

Located 2000 miles east of Australia in the Pacific Ocean, the Natural Park of the Coral Sea covers all of New Caledonia’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), or, the marine waters extending 12 to 200 nautical miles from its coasts. According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the park is home to more than 4500 square kilometres of fishery-supporting coral reefs, home to 25 species of marine mammals, 48 shark species, 19 species of nesting birds and five species of marine turtles.

It also increases French contributions toward the United Nations’ protection targets (UN Convention on Biological Diversity) for 2020 -- from four per cent of France’s national jurisdiction marine waters being protected, to 16 per cent today -- a remarkable accomplishment.

New Caledonia itself is the world’s only stand-alone Biodiversity Hotspot, and a French overseas territory, which is highly dependent on its natural capital. Its coastal waters boast the world’s largest lagoon, which has earned UNESCO World Heritage Site status.

Plans to create the park were first announced in at the Pacific Island Forum in 2012, when the New Caledonia government offered its first official commitment to the Pacific Oceanscape. An unprecedented effort among 16 Pacific Island nations and six territories for collaborative management of nearly 40 million square kilometers of vital ocean, The Pacific Oceanscape represents 10 per cent of the world’s total ocean surface.

In the next phase of the park’s development, the levels of protection will be defined. Ultimately, the Natural Park of the Coral Sea will be a multiple use area with various zones for economic activity and conservation.