Lagoons of New Caledonia

Inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008, the lagoon reef system of New Caledonia forms the second most extensive continuous barrier reef in the world after Australia's Great Barrier Reef, with an exceptional diversity of reef types — from double barriers to atolls and fringing reefs — packed into a relatively compact area. Its waters hold one of the most important dugong populations in the western Pacific, and serve as a critical migratory corridor for several species of sea turtle and for the humpback whales that breed in its warm water through the southern winter.