In New Caledonia, feeling not sufficiently seen or heard, the traditional authorities decided to develop a program to make their voice heard and have their vision taken into account. Over a 3-year period, with the support of CI, BNA and local partners, Kanak representatives have worked to socialize their vision of the Ocean to all Caledonians, and to actively participate in the management committee of the Coral Sea Natural Park (CSNP), with convincing results: the cultural value of the mounts and seabed is recognized in the MPA extension decree, a 50-year moratorium has been voted on mining and seabed exploration, and a name in one of 28 Kanak languages has been added to the park: Nèkwiè pûû möȓu (Ocean origin of life).
We still have a long way to go to achieve our goal: for the Kanak authorities to sit alongside the French state and the New Caledonian government in the park's presidency, and for the Kanak vision of the environment to become a law of the land that will better protect our heritage and strengthen the management of our environment.
Faced with an unprecedented environmental crisis, the “Vision Kanak de l’Océan” program offers a positive, inclusive and unifying framework for action, where nature is seen not as a resource to be exploited, but as a parent to be respected. A precious vision, rooted in a thousand-year-old culture, but resolutely turned towards the future.