New Caledonia

39.2% —or about 717,000 hectares—of New Caledonia is forested. Of this, 60.1% —or roughly 431,000 hectares—is classified as primary forest, the most biodiverse form of forest.

Change in Forest Cover: Between 1990 and 2000, New Caledonia had no significant change or no reported in forest cover.

Biodiversity and Protected Areas: New Caledonia has some 275 known species of amphibians, birds, mammals and reptiles according to figures from the World Conservation Monitoring Centre. Of these, 34.9% are endemic, meaning they exist in no other country, and 8.7% are threatened. New Caledonia is home to at least 3250 species of vascular plants, of which 98.5% are endemic. 3.0% of New Caledonia is protected under IUCN categories I-V.

SECTIONS:

Forest Cover | Forest types | Breakdown of forest types | Change in Forest Cover | Primary forest | Forest designation | Disturbances affecting forest land | Protected areas | Biodiversity - Wildlife | Biodiversity - Plants | Value of forests | Production, trade and consumption of forest products | Environment | Land use / Resources | Economy | Population / Demographics | Infrastructure | Health | References | Books

Books

New Caledonia: Forest Cover, 2005 Total Land Area (ha) 1,828,000 Total Forest Area (ha) 717,000 Percent Forest Cover 39.22% Primary Forest Cover (ha) 431,000 Primary Forest, % total forest 60.11% Primary Forest, % total land 23.58% Other wooded land (ha) 787,000 New Caledonia : Forest types Tropical (% forest area) 100% Subtropical (% forest area) 0% Temperate (% forest area) 0% Boreal/polar (% forest area) 0% New Caledonia: Breakdown of forest types, 2005 Primary forest (ha | %) 431,000 60.1% Modified natural (ha | %) 277,000 38.6% Semi-natural (ha | %) - - Production plantation (ha | %) 10,000 1.4% Production plantation (ha | %) - - New Caledonia: Change in Forest Cover TOTAL FOREST COVER Forest 1990 (ha) 717,000 Forest 2000 (ha) 717,000 Forest 2005 (ha) 717,000 Annual Change 1990-2000 (ha | %) - 0.00% Annual Change 2000-2005 (ha | %) - 0.00% Total Change 1990-2005 (ha | %) - 0.00% Change in rate (%) #DIV/0! PRIMARY FOREST COVER Primary 1990 (ha) 431,000 Primary 2000 (ha) 431,000 Primary 2005 (ha) 431,000 Annual Change 1990-2000 (ha | %) - 0.00% Annual Change 2000-2005 (ha | %) - 0.00% Total Change 1990-2005 (ha | %) - 0.00% Change in rate (%) #DIV/0! OTHER WOODED LAND Other 1990 (ha) 787,000 Other 2000 (ha) 787,000 Other 2005 (ha) 787,000 Annual Change 1990-2000 (ha | %) - 0.00% Annual Change 2000-2005 (ha | %) - 0.00% Total Change 1990-2005 (ha | %) - 0.00% Change in rate (%) #DIV/0! PLANTATIONS Other 1990 (ha) 10,000 Other 2000 (ha) 10,000 Other 2005 (ha) 10,000 Annual Change 1990-2000 (ha | %) - 0.00% Annual Change 2000-2005 (ha | %) - 0.00% Total Change 1990-2005 (ha | %) - 0.00% Change in rate (%) #DIV/0! TOTAL DEGRADATION/CONSERVSION Forest area+Wooded Area-Plantations Other 1990 (ha) 1,494,000 Other 2000 (ha) 1,494,000 Other 2005 (ha) 1,494,000 Annual Change 1990-2000 (ha | %) - 0.00% Annual Change 2000-2005 (ha | %) - 0.00% Total Change 1990-2005 (ha | %) - 0.00% Change in rate (%) #DIV/0! New Caledonia: Primary Primary or "old-growth" vegetation Primary Forest 2005 (ha) 431,000 Other primary wooded land 2005 (ha) 412,000 Other primary wooded land 2005 (ha) 843,000 Undisturbed vegetation 2005 (% land area) 46.12% New Caledonia: Forest designation Ownership of forest land, 2000 Public (%) 73.8% Private (%) 0.8% Other (%) 25.4% Ownership of other wooded land, 2000 Public (%) 76.4% Private (%) 11.8% Other (%) 11.8% Designated functions of forest � primary function 2005 Production (%) 2.8% Protection (%) 14.4% Conservation (%) 9.9% Social Services (%) 8.4% Multiple Services (%) 2.8% None of Unknown (%) 61.8% New Caledonia: Disturbances affecting forest land 2000 Forest Area annually affected by Fire (%) - Insects (ha) - Diseases (ha) - Other (ha) - New Caledonia: Protected areas Protected areas Biosphere reserves, 2005 Wetlands of international importance (Ramsar sites), 2005 0 World Heritage sites, 2004 0 Protected Areas: IUCN categories I-V, percent of total land 3.0% Protected Areas: IUCN categories Ia, Ib, and II, extent, percent of total land 0.87% Protected Areas: IUCN categories III, IV, and V, percent of total land, 2004 2.27% Protected Areas: IUCN categories VI and other, percent of total land, 2004 4.11% New Caledonia: Biodiversity - Wildlife Amphibians total species 1 endemic species 0 threatened species 0 Birds total species 150 endemic species 29 threatened species 16 Mammals total species 28 endemic species 3 threatened species 6 Reptiles total species 96 endemic species 64 threatened species 2 Wildlife diversity total species 275 endemic species 96 threatened species 24 New Caledonia: Biodiversity - Plants Growing stock composition 3 most common species % of total growing stock - Growing stock composition 3 most common species % of total growing stock - Number of Native tree species Native tree species - Number of tree species in IUCN red list Critically Endangered 12 Endangered 18 Vulnerable 37 Vascular Plant Species, 2004 Total 3250 Number endemic 3200 Number of Threatened Plant Species, 2004 Species threatened 217 New Caledonia: Value of forests Biomass stock in forest, 2005 Above-ground biomass (M t) 118 Below-ground biomass (M t) 28 Dead wood (M t) 13 Total (M t) 160 Carbon stock in forest, 2005 Carbon in above-ground biomass (M t) 59 Carbon in below-ground biomass (M t) 14 Carbon in dead wood (M t) 7 Carbon in litter (M t) 2 Soil carbon (M t) - Change in growing stock 1990 - 2005 Annual change rate (1000 cubic m/yr) 1990-2000 0 2000-2005 0 Growing stock per hectare 1990 - 2005 Annual change rate ( cubic m/ha per yr) 1990-2000 0 2000-2005 0 Wood removal 2005 Industrial roundwood (1000 cubic m) 6 Wood fuel (1000 cubic m) - Total wood removal 2005 (1000 cubic m) 6 Total wood removal 2005 (% of growing stock) n.s. Plant products 2005 Food (t) - Fodder (t) - Raw material for medicine and aromatic products (t) - Raw material for colorants and dyes (t) - Raw material for utensils, handicrafts & construction (t) - Ornamental plants (t) - Exudates (t) - Other plant products (t) - Animal products 2005 Living animals (units) - Hides, skins and trophies (units) - Wild honey and bee-wax (t) - Bush meat (t) - Raw material for medicine and aromatic products (t) - Raw material for colorants and dyes (t) - Other edible animal products (t) - Other non-edible animal products (t) - Value of wood and non-wood forest product removal 2005 Industrial roundwood (US$) - Wood fuel (US$) - Non-wood forest products (US$) - Total value (US$) - Total value ($USD/ha) $- Employment in forestry 2000 Total people employed n.s. New Caledonia : Production, trade and consumption of forest products, 2002 Woodfuel ('000 cubic m), 2002 Production - Imports 0 Exports - Consumption 0 Industrial roundwood ('000 cubic m), 2002 Production 5 Imports 1 Exports 0 Consumption 4 Sawnwood ('000 cubic m), 2002 Production 3 Imports 3 Exports 0 Consumption 6 Wood-based panels ('000 cubic m), 2002 Production - Imports 2 Exports 0 Consumption 2 Pulp for paper ('000 metric tons), 2002 Production - Imports 2 Exports - Consumption 2 Paper and paperboard ('000 metric tons), 2002 Production - Imports 3 Exports 0 Consumption 3 New Caledonia: Environment Environment - current issues erosion caused by mining exploitation and forest fires Environment - international agreements cyclones, most frequent from November to March New Caledonia: Land use / Resources Land use (%) arable land: 0.38% permanent crops: 0.33% other: 99.29% (2001) Natural resources nickel, chrome, iron, cobalt, manganese, silver, gold, lead, copper New Caledonia: Economy Economy - overview: New Caledonia has about 25% of the world's known nickel resources. Only a small amount of the land is suitable for cultivation, and food accounts for about 20% of imports. In addition to nickel, substantial financial support from France - equal to more than one-fourth of GDP - and tourism are keys to the health of the economy. Substantial new investment in the nickel industry, combined with the recovery of global nickel prices, brightens the economic outlook for the next several years. GDP - per capita $15,000 (2003 est.) GDP - real growth rate (%) NA% Agriculture - products vegetables; beef, deer, other livestock products GDP - composition by sector (%) agriculture: 5%, industry: 30%, services: 65% (1997 est.) Industries nickel mining and smelting Economic aid - recipient $880 million annual subsidy from France (1998) Debt - external $79 million (1998 est.) Population below poverty line (%) NA Labor force - by occupation (%) agriculture 7%, industry 23%, services 70% (1999 est.) New Caledonia: Population / Demographics Population (July 2005) 216,494 Population growth rate (%) (2005) 1.28% Population density (people/sq km) (2005) 11.7 Percent rural (2003) 38.8% Median age (years) total: 27.5 years Total fertility rate (children born/woman) 2.31 (2005 est.) Ethnic groups (%) Melanesian 42.5%, European 37.1%, Wallisian 8.4%, Polynesian 3.8%, Indonesian 3.6%, Vietnamese 1.6%, other 3% [an error occurred while processing this directive] New Caledonia: Infrastructure Telephones - main lines in use 52,000 (2002) Telephones - mobile cellular 80,000 (2002) Roadways (km) total: 5,432 km (2000) New Caledonia: Health Life expectancy at birth (years) total population: 74.04 years male: 71.07 years female: 77.16 years (2005 est.) Infant mortality rate 7.72 deaths/1,000 live births HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate (%) NA% New Caledonia : References & Data Sources  Environment, Land use / Resources, Economy, Population / Demographics, Infrastructure, Health -- CIA World Factbook, 2005  Forest Cover, Forest types, Breakdown of forest types, Change in Forest Cover, Primary forests, Forest designation, Disturbances affecting forest land, Value of forests, Production, trade and consumption of forest products -- The FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS's Global Forest Resources Assessment (2005) and the State of the World�s Forests (2005, 2003, 2001)  Protected Areas, Plant and animal biodiversity -- United Nations Environment Programme - World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC). 2004. World Database on Protected Areas.  Biosphere reservers -- United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) - Man and Biosphere Program. 2004. UNESCO - MAB Biosphere Reserves Directory.  RAMSAR sites -- The Bureau of the Convention on Wetlands . 2005. The Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance.  World Resources Institute's EarthTrends web site  The 2004 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species  Population Data -- United Nations Population Fund  With additional analysis by Rhett Butler of mongabay.com