Green bid to preserve Pacific reef

By CNN's Grant Holloway

CANBERRA, Australia -- Global Green groups have begun a campaign to have the coral reefs of the Pacific island of New Caledonia nominated for World Heritage listing.

The reefs, the second biggest system in the world after Australia's Great Barrier Reef, are under threat from nickel mining on New Caledonia, Green groups say.

The campaign was launched Sunday at the Global Greens 2001 conference being held in Canberra, Australia.

With more than 800 people attending and delegates from 70 countries, the conference is the largest gathering of Green supporters since the movements began about 30 years ago.

The reef campaign was launched by Green group representatives from New Caledonia's indigenous population, as well as Green supporters from France and Australia.

New Caledonia produces 30 percent of the world's nickel, with major producers SLN, Inco, Phelps Dodge and Falconridge all operating there.

Green groups are concerned that runoff from the mining operations is flowing into the lagoons and waters which support the reef, threatening their currently pristine state.

Drew Hutton from the Australian Greens party told a media confererence Sunday that it was important to realize that New Caledonia had no environmental protection laws of its own, nor was the environment there covered by French laws.

"There is no environmental regulation in New Caledonia, no legislation and no enforcement," Hutton said.

This made it particularly important for Green groups to act in a united fashion to help get the reefs a World Heritage listing, particularly as the move was likely to face entrenched political and corporate opposition.

Jean Wanabo, president of the Senat Coutumier which represents the indigenous Kanak people of New Caledonia, said the reef campaign was an important way in which his people could show the world what was happening in New Caledonia.

Key to the campaign will be persuading the French government to nominate the reef for the listing. The current Minister for the Environment in France is Green party member Dominique Voynet, and the Green party there is part of the ruling coalition government.

European Parliament Green member Didier Rod said the Greens may prepare a resolution in the European parliament asking France to move to protect the reefs.

The reefs move is the first major international campaign to be launched by the Global Greens organizations.

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