New Caledonia's lagoons and reef ecosystems have been added on Monday (Canada time) to the UNESCO's prestigious world heritage list - in the natural environment category, the United Nations Education Science and Culture organisation has confirmed.

The French government filed the official bid, on behalf of its South Pacific dependency, in February 2007 and the campaign has faced keen media interest.

As part of the current World Heritage committee sitting in Quebec (Canada), a group of New Caledonia's unique lagoons and reefs ecosystem - believed to be the world's second largest, just after the Australian Great Barrier Reef - has been granted entry into the global list, which is also a first for a French overseas community.

In its application, entitled "New Caledonia's lagoons and their associated reef and ecosystem diversity", France, on behalf of New Caledonia, was proposing that about 60 percent of the 23,400 square kilometres of coastal reefs of the French Pacific territory be registered on the UN list.

Overall, New Caledonia's bid pertains to six sites covering an area of about 15,700 square kilometres.

These include the grand Southern Lake, the region of Foa-Bourail, the coastal region of North East, the grand Northern Lake, the Entrecasteaux Reef and Ouvea-Beautemps Beaupre reef.

They were selected for their exceptional character and for being of great interest to the world. The sites are also representative of the unique flora and fauna of this country.

The New Caledonian Reef has a unique biodiversity of which only 20 percent is known.

World-class environment and biodiversity features include fish and marine mammal species as well as mangrove ecosystems.

It is estimated that New Caledonia is home to about 15,000 marine species and about 700 coral types.

The UNESCO designated area to be included in the World Heritage list however excludes areas close to the capital Noumea, as well as some part of the south of the main island of Grande Terre, where a world-class nickel mining project is currently under construction.

"This is a real challenge for us, we believe we can at the same time mine our nickel and preserve our common natural heritage", New Caledonia's Southern Province environment commission head Isabelle Ohlen said last year.

Papua New Guinea's ancient Kuk Agricultural Site also joins the list

Also on Monday, the World Heritage Committee added another Pacific island site to its list, thus marking PNG's entry into the World Heritage family.

The selected site is located in Kuk (Southern Highlands of Papua New Guinea's main island).

It consists of 116 hectares of swamps 1500 metres above sea-level.

"Archaeological excavation has revealed the landscape to be one of wetland reclamation worked almost continuously for 7,000, and possibly for 10,000 years. It contains well-preserved archaeological remains demonstrating the technological leap which transformed plant exploitation to agriculture around 6,500 years ago.

"It is an excellent example of transformation of agricultural practices over time, from cultivation mounds to draining the wetlands through the digging of ditches with wooden tools. Kuk is one of the few places in the world where archaeological evidence suggests independent agricultural development and changes in agricultural practice over such a long period of time", the UNESCO World Heritage Committee said in a release. Oceania Flash/Pacific Media Watch, 09/07/08.