11.000.000 de km2 pour quoi faire? Le cas de la Nouvelle-Calédonie. Synthèse et perspectives en termes de forme et de degré de protection des milieux naturels marins

This text, published in the magazine “Challenge. Le magazine du Pacifique” deals with the quite unique Caledonian case as far as its maritime character is concerned and is part of a related research programme of the French Institute for the Sea (IFM) on the issue: “11.000.000 square kilometres, what for?” To better address this question, an analysis grid sets the stage with regard to six main issues: legal status; parties involved; characteristics of natural habitats; safety and hazards; patterns of development and operational procedures; protection policies and tools. We deal below with the basic elements relative to the sixth of these points: policies and tools of the environmental protection in New Caledonia. Il reminds the history gradually established regarding protection and conservation of natural marine environment and the present deep evolutions with, in particular, the inscription of lagoons and reefs in the World Heritage, the creation of Marine Protected Areas and provincial parks, then more recently, the Marine Natural Park of the Coral Sea. This text underlines the not application or current adaptation of structuring directives authorizing the implementation of environmental standardized monitoring networks on the scale of the country as, in spite of encouraging examples, the fact that tools for integration and sharing of environmental information or supporting Spatial Marine Planning need, still, to be implemented.