11 July 2008

New Caledoniaââ¬â¢s Reef Joins Elite World Heritage List

A sweeping part of New Caledoniaââ¬â¢s coral reef and lagoon has just been listed as a world heritage site.

UNESCO added it to their worldwide list of heritage sites on Monday after a delegation from the Pacific archipelago went to Quebec City in Canada to present its bid to UNESCO.

The New Caledonia lagoon comprises the second largest continuous coral reef in the world after Australiaââ¬â¢s.  The entire reef stretches over 23,000 square kilometres and 15,000 square kilometres has been recognised by UNESCO.

Karen Priest, New Caledonia Tourism New Zealand Manager, says she is delighted with the news.  ââ¬ÅâœItââ¬â¢s a great privilege for New Caledonia to be recognised as a world heritage site and it will definitely put us on the world tourism map, adding to the allure of our South Pacific French charm, myriad of activities and excellent hotels that we have to offer.ââ¬~

The lagoon displays intact ecosystems, with healthy populations of large predators, and a great number and diversity of big fish. They provide habitat to a number of threatened fish, turtles, and marine mammals, including the third largest population of dugongs in the world.

The lagoon is of exceptional natural beauty, and contains reefs of varying ages, from living reefs to ancient fossil reefs, providing an important source of information on the natural history of Oceania.

The New Caledonia reef is the 33rd French site to be listed as world heritage and is only the second purely natural French site on the list after the Gulf of Porto in Corsica, France.

UNESCOââ¬â¢s World Heritage list has 855 sites in more than 140 countries around the world.

A Report from The Mole

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