aerial view of New Caledonia
Project

New Caledonia

Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy

New Caledonia, a French overseas territory in the South Pacific Ocean, is home to an incredible array of marine life, including more than 1,700 species of fish and 473 species of coral. The waters of the territory’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) span 1.3 million square kilometers (501,932 square miles), within which lies one of the world’s largest lagoons.

In April 2014, New Caledonia created the Natural Park of the Coral Sea, which includes the entire EEZ. A government committee is developing a management plan that will define the regions of the park, how they will be used, and their levels of protection.

The Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy team is pleased to have been invited by the government to join the park management committee. Other members include representatives from the government, local institutions, environmental organizations, local communities, international and local nongovernmental organizations, and the private sector.”

The Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy Project is advocating for at least one vast, highly protected marine reserve to be included in the Natural Park of the Coral Sea. This level of protection fosters healthy marine ecosystems and maintains fish populations—particularly highly mobile and migratory species—and would help preserve the waters of New Caledonia for generations to come.

Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy Project

The Pew Charitable Trusts and the Bertarelli Foundation joined forces in 2017 to create the Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy Project. This effort builds on a decade of work by both organizations to protect the ocean. Pew’s Global Ocean Legacy initiative, established in 2006, helped obtain commitments to safeguard more than 6.3 million square kilometers (2.4 million square miles) of ocean by working with philanthropic partners, indigenous groups, community leaders, government officials, and scientists. Since 2010, the Bertarelli Foundation has worked to create marine protected areas around the globe and simultaneously advance our understanding of marine science.

Project Goals

The Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy Project is advocating for at least one vast, highly protected marine reserve to be included in the Natural Park of the Coral Sea. This level of protection fosters healthy marine ecosystems and maintains fish populations—particularly highly mobile and migratory species—and would help preserve the waters of New Caledonia for generations to come.

Coral
Coral
Press Releases & Statements

New Caledonia Commits to Protecting More of Its Coral Sea Natural Park

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Press Releases & Statements

President Philippe Germain of New Caledonia committed today to protecting 200,000 to 400,000 square kilometers (77,220 to 154,440 square miles) of marine waters within the Coral Sea Natural Park, which the government established in 2014

New Caldonia
New Caldonia
Article

New Caledonia Protects Remote Reefs, Helping Thousands of Species

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Article

New Caledonia Protects Remote Reefs, Helping Thousands of Species

New Caledonia is home to a rich array of wildlife, including 2.5 million seabirds and over 9,300 marine species, many of which thrive in and around remote coral reefs off the island nation’s coast. Those areas include some of the world’s healthiest and most isolated reefs: Astrolabe, Pétrie, Chesterfield, Bellona, and Entrecasteaux, which is also a UNESCO World Heritage site.

New Caledonia
NC 2
Article

Worth Protecting: See the Vibrant Marine Life of New Caledonia’s Coral Sea

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Article

Worth Protecting: See the Vibrant Marine Life of New Caledonia’s Coral Sea

Ten years ago, the lagoons of New Caledonia—a huge area of ocean containing several coral reefs and associated ecosystems—earned designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The staggering biodiversity of this area, which includes islands and coastline, features brilliant, healthy corals and thousands of species of plants and animals found nowhere else.

Whale Skull Cube
Whale Skull Cube
Article

Pacific Artists Tour to Highlight Need for Ocean Conservation

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Article

Pacific Artists Tour to Highlight Need for Ocean Conservation

Following the ‘Year of the Whale,’ locals from Oceania and New Caledonia call for the protection of the Coral Sea Natural Park .

Our Work

Podcast

Our Blue Planet–Protecting the Ocean

Episode 6

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Podcast

Three-quarters of our planet is covered with water—and it’s this water that sustains life. But our liquid planet, home to half of the world’s known creatures and plants, is facing multiple threats, such as overfishing and commercial development. That’s why leading scientists say that 30 percent of our oceans should be protected. Host Dan LeDuc explores why this 30 percent data point is important with two people committed to safeguarding the oceans: native Hawaiian Sol Kaho’ohalahala, whose culture and livelihood depend on sustainable seas; and Matt Rand, who directs the Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy Project and has been working with people like Kaho’ohalahala since 2006 to keep our oceans healthy.

Marine life
Marine life
Fact Sheet

Preserving New Caledonia’s Marine Environment 2015

The benefits of a large and highly protected marine reserve

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Fact Sheet

The ocean plays a vital role in sustaining life on Earth. It covers almost 75 percent of the globe and contains nearly a quarter of the world’s known species—with many yet to be discovered. These waters sustain billions of people and myriad wildlife.