Pitfalls and Pipelines - Philippine Indigenous Peoples Links

Chapter 2.2: Challenges at the National Policy Level
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New Caledonia is located in the South Pacific, about 1,500 kilometers
north east of mainland Australia. New Caledonia is a non self-governing
territory under French rules—in effect one of Europe’s last remaining
colonies. The Melanesian Kanak indigenous peoples call the islands
Kanaky.
New Caledonia comprises the main island called Grande Terre, the
Loyalty Islands (Ouvea, Lifou, Tiga and Mare) to the east, the Belep
Islands to the north, and the Isle of Pines to the southeast, as well as a
number of small uninhabited coral atolls. Combined, New Caledonia has a
total land area of 7,359 square miles (19,100 sq km).
Grande Terre has a rugged central mountain chain descending to flat,
dry savannah on the west coast, and wet, tropical forest on the east
coast. Surrounding it is the second largest barrier reef in the world, which
in turn marks out the largest lagoon in the world, and hosts over 5,000
known species of tropical marine life (5% endemic), including chambered
nautilus, dugongs, manta ray, great white sharks, and in season,
humpback whales. Six separate zones of this coral reef have been
enlisted on the UNESCO World Heritage list.
New Caledonia is unique for its biodiversity. Seventy four percent of its
3,000 plant species are endemic, ranking it fourth in the world. There are
endangered rare dry forests, mangroves, numerous endemic araucaria
(columnar) pines and palms, local birds such as the kagu, notu, and the
tool-using crow.