Les récifs coralliens de Nouvelle-Calédonie en 2006 : état des lieux et réseau de suivi

Abstract

Coral reefs of New Caledonia in 2006 : status report and monitoring network. — New Caledonia is located in the Southwest Pacific. This French territory is in charge of the management of its coastal environment. In 2004, 230,789 inhabitants lived in New Caledonia, 63 % in the region of Nouméa capital city (South Province). The gross domestic product is similar to West European countries. New Caledonia holds 25 % of the known nickel reserves, nickel exports constituting 90 to 95 % of the country’s exports. Coral reefs and lagoons cover 40,000 km2. These ecosystems are among the most diversified on earth with 150 types of reef and 15,000 marine species. New Caledonia coral reefs applied for the World Heritage list in 2007. In 2001, 1,212 t of marine resources were exploited, mainly fish (690 t). The impacts of tourism are located around Nouméa capital city and cruise ship stopovers. Yachting has a higher impact on coral reefs close to Nouméa and the major villages. MPAs (covering more than 420 km2) have been created, most of them with moorings, to limit these impacts. Coral reefs are also impacted by mining activities and sewage. However, new managing policies (extracting procedures, wastewater treatment plants, disposal areas) are being implemented to limit these impacts. Research on coral reefs is made by French agencies and NGOs. The first coral reef observatory (ORC) was created in 1997 in the South Province. Its activity had stopped in 1999 because of a lack of funding. The observatory (RORC, 30 stations) was reactivated in 2003 and funded by IFRECOR. New Caledonia is a member of the SW Pacific node of the GCRMN and contributes to the ‘Status of coral reefs of the world’ reports and Reef Check program (since 1997). Since 2003, coral reefs remained in a relative good health (83 % of the stations) despite the impact of cyclone Erica (2003). The density of fish and invertebrates (selected species) did not change significantly. The percentage of live coral cover has stabilized after the impact of Acanthaster on selected sites the previous years. Unlike other SW Pacific Islands, New Caledonia was not affected by a major bleaching since 1996. In the future, New Caledonia will have to face an increase of fishing activities around new mining centres, and increase pollution from urban centres (sewage, solid waste, etc.). In conclusion, there is a dire need to implement a perennial observatory of coral reef health.