Natural Park of the Coral Sea — New Caledonia's 1.3-Million-km² Marine Reserve

Established by the Government of New Caledonia in 2014, the Parc naturel de la mer de Corail covers 1,292,967 km² of exclusive economic zone — at the time one of the four largest marine protected areas in the world — encompassing coral reefs, seamounts and pelagic waters around the archipelago. It sits alongside, but is legally distinct from, the smaller 2008 UNESCO World Heritage listing "Lagoons of New Caledonia: Reef Diversity and Associated Ecosystems."

Scientific assessments cited in reporting document 48 shark species, 25 marine-mammal species and 5 marine-turtle species within the park's waters, alongside an estimated 3,000 tonnes per year of pelagic fish catch in surrounding fisheries.

Multiple reports describe the park's practical protection as weak relative to its legal size: patrols rely on "a handful of French ships" covering an area described as twice the size of Texas and three times the size of Germany. A local eco-tour operator is quoted asking where the patrols are, and a conservation expert notes that "just calling something a national park does not equate to protection" — an explicit "paper park" critique.

Reporting also flags an unresolved policy tension: a provision reportedly permits future cruise-ship traffic within the protected zone, sitting uneasily alongside the park's conservation purpose.

Read the full analysis: https://time.com/2910469/