New Caledonia is home to The largest nature park on earth

The inspiration for the world's largest marine park comes from Global Ocean Legacy, which is part of Pew Charitable Trusts, The trust works with communities and governments to establish large, highly-protected marine reserves around the world. Schaffar explained that if the New Caledonia area is not protected, its biodiversity will be lost. The protection of this widely diverse ecosystem will also be a boon to eco-tourism for the islands.

And speaking of biodiversity, this unique sanctuary has the richest diversity of flora and fauna in the world. There are not only species, but entire genera and even families of fauna and botanicals found nowhere else in the world. Many of the plant and animal species come from species that became isolated when New Caledonia broke away from the southerly supercontinent Gondwana many tens of millions of years ago.

There are more than 1.1 million acres of coral reefs, 25 species of marine mammals, 48 shark species, 19 species of nesting birds and five species of sea turtles. The park's ecosystems also generate up to 3,000 tons of fish every year, from a small island fishing fleet of 20 boats, providing an important food source for New Caledonia's quarter of a million human inhabitants. The park covers all of New Caledonia's "exclusive economic zone," marine waters that extend from the islands coasts outward for up to 200 nautical miles.

Adding to nature's wonderful show are the island's clever tool-making New Caledonia crows, probably the islands most famous fauna. New Caledonia is home to the world's second largest double-barrier reef, after Australia's Great Barrier Reef, as well as the world's largest coastal lagoon, a UNESCO World Heritage site. From species of fish and crustaceans, to skinks and flightless birds, there are so many species needing protection, and "the Natural Park of the Coral Sea" is a good place to start.