Nature under pressure in New Caledonia: Social crisis in a world key biodiversity hotspot.

Since May 2024, New Caledonia has faced civil unrest, economic collapse, food insecurity, and social instability, severely disrupting environmental management in this globally significant biodiversity hotspot. The crisis has exacerbated threats to biodiversity from poaching, illegal fishing, deforestation, urban fires, waste pollution, and pet abandonment, while conservation efforts have ground to a halt. Immediate action is needed to address these threats to nature.

A social-ecological engagement with reef passages in New Caledonia: Connectors between coastal and oceanic spaces and species.

Healthy and protected coral reefs help island systems in the tropics thrive and survive. Reef passages link the open ocean to lagoon and coastal areas in these ecosystems and are home to an exceptionally diverse and abundant marine life, hosting emblematic species and fish spawning aggregations. Their multiple benefits for the islands and their peoples (e.