| The string of coral reefs that girdles the deep blue lagoon of New Caledonia is under threat. It is turning pale and dying, attacked by pollution generated especially by nickel extraction on Grande Terre, the territory’s chief island. Every year, New Caledonia’s opencast mines produce 125,000 metric tons of this metal—the fifth largest producer in the world. The industry is the archipelago’s main economic resource, but it is a threat to the lagoon. Rainwater runs off from the mines into the sea, bringing waste that then settles on the surrounding coral. Many residents also suspect that the nickel treatment plants dump toxic waste and metals in suspension into the lagoon, and that these poison the coral reefs. These reefs are precious. Although they cover only 0.09 percent of the planet’s seas and oceans, they are home to 2 million animal and plant species. But more than half are being damaged by human activities such as pollution, removal of coral, and dynamite fishing. |
. &title2=Neuika coral reef, New Caledonia, France (22°23’ S, 167°06’ E). &title3= Arrecife coralino de Neuika, Nueva Caledonia, Francia (22°50’ S-167°25’ E). "download in wallpaper")
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