The Lagoons of New Caledonia were inscribed by UNESCO in 2008.
The World Heritage property protects six marine clusters around New Caledonia, a French archipelago in the southwest Pacific. Together, they represent a remarkable range of coral reefs and associated habitats, including mangroves, seagrass beds, lagoons, barrier reefs and offshore atolls.
UNESCO recognizes the site under natural criteria (vii), (ix) and (x), covering about 1,574,300 hectares. Its reefs are among the world’s most extensive and contain exceptional coral and fish diversity, as well as habitat for turtles, dugongs and whales.
A common mix-up is to confuse the reef’s geological age or the date of its nomination with its inscription year. The World Heritage Committee formally added the site to the list on 7 July 2008. It is also not simply one compact reef: it is a serial property made up of several protected marine areas.