A biodiversity hotspot
New Caledonia, like Vanuatu, is one of the 25 or so biodiversity hotspots: a handful of countries whose biological wealth is matched only by the threats they face. The French archipelago has 80% of endemic plant species, such as the delicate orchid Eriaxis rigida. Under the water is an extraordinary coral reef. Although it is not the largest in the world, it does hold the world record for length, beating its Australian neighbor.
In the New Caledonian maritime space, representing 1.4 million km2, many fascinating species splash about: humpback whales, sperm whales, marine turtles, and dugongs, a kind of sea cow. But many threats weigh on the living beings of the sea and the land, starting with poaching, of which dugongs are one of the many victims. Protection zones are multiplying in an attempt to curb this phenomenon, which comes from Asia in particular. Overfishing does not only affect aquatic species, since the population of 5 of the 13 species of marine birds is decreasing by 2 to 4% per year. The Cagou(Rhynochetos jubatus), the emblem bird of the archipelago, may not be marine, because it cannot fly, but it is itself threatened by the destruction and fragmentation of its habitat. In addition to deforestation and fires, the plants must also deal with the introduction of invasive species, which, on a global scale, represent the second greatest threat to biodiversity.
Fortunately, thanks to conservation efforts, success stories are also part of the picture. One such success story is the Ouvéa parakeet, whose population was declining due to habitat destruction, the introduction of predators by humans, and collection for commercial purposes as a pet. Constant preservation efforts have allowed the species to increase from 600 individuals in 1993 to more than 2,000 in 2009.
Politics and NGOs hand in hand
To protect its biodiversity, New Caledonia has established a legal framework, which is constantly being consolidated. In 2009, the South Province adopted a lagoon guide (downloadable at https://www.province-sud.nc), which regulates the authorized fishing periods for each species.
In 2016, the elected representative Nina Julié, three years before passing the ban on single-use plastic, proposed to enrich this political arsenal with a law on air quality, which has been absent until now. Pollution peaks are regular in Nouméa, where the air is polluted by the Le Nickel metallurgical plant, road traffic and the thermal power plants that surround the city. The law, aimed at limiting the emissions of certain pollutants, was unanimously passed in 2017. Its role, in addition to improving public health, is all the more essential as the archipelago is particularly vulnerable to global warming. As the water rises, its soils are sinking due to erosion, and in the heat, fires are multiplying. Opposite, Vanuatu is also determined to raise its arms against climate change, and has been trying for several months to create a Pacific coalition, to convince the International Court of Justice, the highest UN jurisdiction, of the need to obtain more funds to fight. For the small island, the rising waters are already a reality, as it is slowly being swallowed up.
The New Caledonian political body is joined in its fight by several NGOs, starting with the oldest on the island, the Association for the Safeguard of New Caledonian Nature (ASNNC), which, in addition to its actions to raise awareness among the population, collaborates with other associations to create programs for the protection of biodiversity. For example, it works with Bwärä, which works to protect the big-headed turtles(Caretta caretta), as they are nicknamed locally. In the same way, a permanent WWF office, installed in Noumea since 2001, has made it possible to set up several large-scale projects, such as vast reforestation actions, field studies to alert decision-makers and to document the bighead turtles, whose population has fallen by 80% in the South Pacific.
A disappeared forest
It is a sad fact: 98% of the dry forest that once covered the archipelago has disappeared. The 4,500 ha that remain are so fragmented that they no longer constitute a viable environment for many species. There are many reasons for this hecatomb: the herbivores introduced by man, for lack of predators, are as numerous as they are voracious, agriculture is causing mass felling to free up plots for cultivation, the introduced plants are proving to be terrible competitors for local species, and fires are multiplying as a result of the increasing scarcity of water... Nine actors are working to restore and conserve the forest: the French state, the New Caledonian government, the North Province, the South Province, the WWF, the Center for Environmental Education, the New Caledonian Agronomic Institute, the Institute for Development Research, and the University of New Caledonia.
The nickel plague
Under the soil of New Caledonia lies nearly a third of the world's nickel reserves, a metal mainly used in the manufacture of stainless steel. A gift that the environment, ravaged by mining activity, could well have done without. Mining operations produce almost twice as much waste as the amount of metal obtained. This sludge, often impregnated with heavy metals, ends up in fresh water systems and then in the oceans.
In addition to this, the mines tend to leave gaping holes in the ecosystems. Since 2009, operators have been obliged to restore plots of land, but the plants generally do not last long in this polluted environment. The problem is all the more important given that the concessions represent 18% of New Caledonia's territory. However, real progress has been made, and mining companies are now setting up an ecology department. For example, the historical operator Le Nickel now has a nursery, whose plants are used to fill in damaged plots. However, these measures do not satisfy environmentalists, who are concerned that the ecosystems recreated will be very different from those lost. Indeed, out of the more than 2,000 endemic plant species of the archipelago, only about thirty are used.
These places dedicated to nature
New Caledonia's protected areas are divided into five categories: integral nature reserves, where access is strictly prohibited to prevent any human impact, nature reserves, sustainable resource management areas, provincial parks and marine protected areas.
Among the latter, one, created in 2014, is particularly spectacular for its size, as it is 2.5 times the size of metropolitan France; it is therefore the largest marine protected area in France, and the fourth largest in the world. It must be said that the Coral Sea Natural Park represents the entire exclusive economic zone of New Caledonia! The park is home to many species, including 48 species of sharks, five of which are threatened with extinction, five species of turtles and about 20 marine birds.
On land, the Blue River Park offers both Caledonians superb walks, and scientists an exceptional biodiversity to study. For between the scrubland and the humid forest of the park, we find an exceptional bird: the famous Cagou! From the 70 individuals that survived in the park in the 1980s, there are now 700, the largest existing population!
Nouméans can enjoy the 36 hectares of the zoological and forestry park. It opened in 1972 to protect one of the last remaining patches of dry forest in Nouméa. There is also a zoo, exhibiting some of the island's endemic species.
