New Caledonian barrier reef

**New Caledonian barrier reef**
UNESCO World Heritage Site

Location	New Caledonia, France
Coordinates	20°24′43″S 164°33′59″E / 20.4119°S 164.5664°E / -20.4119; 164.5664
Criteria	vii, ix, x^[1]
Reference	1115
Inscription	2008 (32nd Session)
Location of New Caledonian barrier reef
[edit on Wikidata]

The New Caledonian barrier reef is located in New Caledonia in the South Pacific, and is the second-longest double-barrier coral reef in the world, after the Belize Barrier Reef.

The New Caledonian barrier reef surrounds Grande Terre, New Caledonia's largest island, as well as the Ile des Pins and several smaller islands, reaching a length of 1,500 kilometres (930 mi). The reef encloses a lagoon of 24,000 square kilometres (9,300 sq mi), which has an average depth of 25 metres (82 ft). The reefs lie up to 30 kilometres (19 mi) from the shore, but extend almost 200 kilometres (120 mi) to the Entrecasteaux reefs in the northwest. This northwestern extension encloses the Belep Islands and other sand cays. Several natural passages open out to the ocean. The Boulari passage, which leads to Noumea, the capital and chief port of New Caledonia, is marked by the Amédée lighthouse.

Ecology

The reef has great species diversity with a high level of endemism, and is home to endangered dugongs (Dugong dugon), and is an important nesting site for green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas).^[2] In the lagoons of New Caledonia there are many water species ranging from plankton to larger fish and even sharks.

Environmental Threats

Most of the reefs are generally thought to be in good health. Some of the eastern reefs have been damaged by effluent from nickel mining on Grand Terre. Sedimentation from mining, agriculture, and grazing has affected reefs near river mouths, which has been worsened by the destruction of mangrove forests, which help to retain sediment. Some reefs have been buried under several metres of silt.^[3]

In January 2002, the French government proposed listing New Caledonia's reefs as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. UNESCO listed New Caledonia barrier beef on the World Heritage List under the name The Lagoons of New Caledonia: Reef Diversity and Associated Ecosystems on 7 July 2008.^[4] The Lagoons were listed under three UNESCO categories:

Superlative natural Phenomena or natural beauty
Ongoing Biological and ecological processes
Biological Diversity and threatened species

There are 13 local management committees, composed of tourist operators, fishermen, politicians and chiefs of local tribes which work with the community to monitor the health of the lagoons.^[5]

Human Use

Scuba Diving is very popular, with many dive sites in the lagoon and around the reef. These include the Prony needle, the Shark Pit and the Cathedral.^[6]

This part of the lagoon, near Dumbéa and Païta, in the North-West of Nouméa, is not included in the UNESCO world heritage sites.
ASTER image of the lagoons

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to New Caledonian lagoon.

Coordinates: 20°24′43″S 164°33′59″E / 20.41194°S 164.56639°E / -20.41194; 164.56639

World Heritage Sites in France
Île-de-France	Palace and Park of Versailles Fontainebleau Palace and Park Paris: Banks of the Seine Provins
Parisian basin	Amiens Cathedral Belfries of Belgium and France¹ Bourges Cathedral Champagne hillsides, houses and cellars Chartres Cathedral Climats and terroirs of Burgundy Reims: Cathedral of Notre-Dame, Abbey of Saint-Remi, Palace of Tau Abbey of Fontenay Le Havre Vézelay Church and hill
Nord-Pas-de-Calais	Belfries of Belgium and France¹ Nord-Pas de Calais Mining Basin
East	Great Saltworks of Salins-les-Bains and Royal Saltworks of Arc-et-Senans Nancy: Place Stanislas, Place de la Carrière and Place d'Alliance Strasbourg: Grande Île, Neustadt Prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps³
West	Abbey Church of Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe Mont Saint-Michel and its bay
South West	Episcopal city, Albi Port of the Moon, Bordeaux Prehistoric sites and decorated caves of the Vézère valley Pyrénées – Mont Perdu² Saint-Émilion
Centre East	Chauvet Cave Lyon
Mediterranean	Roman and Romanesque monuments, Arles Carcassonne citadel Gulf of Porto: Calanches de Piana, Gulf of Girolata, Scandola Reserve Avignon: Papal Palace, Episcopal Ensemble, Avignon Bridge Pont du Gard Orange: Roman Theatre and environs, Triumphal Arch
Multiple regions	The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier Canal du Midi Fortifications of Vauban Loire Valley between Sully-sur-Loire and Chalonnes-sur-Loire Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France
Overseas departments and territories	Lagoons of New Caledonia Pitons, cirques and remparts of Réunion Taputapuātea
¹Shared locally with other region/s and with Belgium ²Shared with Spain ³Shared with Austria, Germany, Italy, Slovenia and Switzerland

Corals and coral reefs
Stony corals	Blue Brain Elegance Elkhorn Hermatypic Chalice Pillar Staghorn Table
Soft corals	Bamboo Black Organ pipe Sea fans Sea pens
Coral reefs	Atoll Cay Coral Fringing Microatoll Coral reef fish Census of Coral Reefs The Structure and Distribution of Coral Reefs Catlin Seaview Survey Spur and groove formation
Coral regions	List of reefs Deep-water coral African coral reefs Amazon Reef Andros, Bahamas Belize Barrier Reef Coral Sea Islands Coral Triangle Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Great Barrier Reef Maldives Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System New Caledonia barrier reef Pulley Ridge Raja Ampat Islands Red Sea Southeast Asian coral reefs
Coral diseases	Coral bleaching Black band disease Skeletal eroding band White band disease White pox disease
Protection	Coral Reef Alliance Coral reef protection Green Fins International Society for Reef Studies Project AWARE Reef Check Reef Ball
Other	Artificial reef Aquaculture of coral Coral dermatitis Precious coral Coral rag Coral reef organizations Coral sand Coralline algae Environmental issues with coral reefs Fire coral Reef resilience Rugosa (extinct) Symbiodinium Tabulata

References

↑ http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1115.
↑ "Lagoons of New Caledonia: Reef Diversity and Associated Ecosystems". UNESCO. Retrieved 18 December 2016.
↑ "New Caledonia Barrier Reef". WWF. Retrieved 18 December 2016.
↑ "Lagoons of New Caledonia: Reef Diversity and Associated Ecosystems". UNESCO. Retrieved 18 December 2016.
↑ "Historic Local community meeting in New Caledonia to strengthen World Heritage conservation". UNESCO. 20 July 2015. Retrieved 18 December 2016.
↑ "Scuba Diving". nouvelle caledonie. Retrieved 18 December 2016.

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