The Blue River Provincial Park (french: Parc provincial de la Rivière Bleue) is a

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

Yaté Yaté is a commune in the South Province of New Caledonia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. The Yaté Dam and Blue River Provincial Park are located within the commune. Geography Climate Yaté has a tropical rainforest c ...

Commune, South Province,

New Caledonia ) , anthem = "" , image_map = New Caledonia on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , map_alt = Location of New Caledonia , map_caption = Location of New Caledonia , mapsize = 290px , subdivision_type = Sovereign st ...

Geography

The Blue River Provincial Park is part of the larger Upper Yaté fauna reserve. The Park covers the basins of the Blue, White, and Month of May Rivers, the latter two of which have drained into Yaté Lake since the construction of the Yaté Dam in 1958. Part of the banks and the length of the lake are in the park, including a large drowned forest. The altitude varies from . The hydrography and the nature of the terrain lead to the presence of several waterfalls, water holes, and

giant's kettle A giant's kettle, also known as either a giant's cauldron, moulin pothole, or glacial pothole, is a typically large and cylindrical pothole drilled in solid rock underlying a glacier either by water descending down a deep moulin or by gravel r ...

in the Blue River valley.

Biodiversity

The park includes two

biome A biome () is a biogeographical unit consisting of a biological community that has formed in response to the physical environment in which they are found and a shared regional climate. Biomes may span more than one continent. Biome is a broader ...

s typical of New Caledonia:

maquis shrubland 220px, Low maquis in Corsica 220px, High ''macchia'' in Sardinia ( , , ) or ( , ; often in Italian; hr, makija; ; ) is a shrubland biome in the Mediterranean region, typically consisting of densely growing evergreen shrubs. Maquis is char ...

overlying

peridotite Peridotite ( ) is a dense, coarse-grained igneous rock consisting mostly of the silicate minerals olivine and pyroxene. Peridotite is ultramafic, as the rock contains less than 45% silica. It is high in magnesium (Mg2+), reflecting the high prop ...

rock and

tropical rainforest Tropical rainforests are rainforests that occur in areas of tropical rainforest climate in which there is no dry season – all months have an average precipitation of at least 60 mm – and may also be referred to as ''lowland equatori ...

. There is a very high rate of

biodiversity of New Caledonia The biodiversity of New Caledonia is of exceptional biological and paleoecological interest. It is frequently referred to as a biodiversity hotspot.Myers, Norman; Mittermeier, Russell A. ; Mittermeier, Cristina G.; da Fonseca, Gustavo A. B.; Ke ...

. In particular, the park is known for being one of the last areas where the

kagu The kagu or cagou (''Rhynochetos jubatus'') is a crested, long-legged, and bluish-grey bird endemic to the dense mountain forests of New Caledonia. It is the only surviving member of the genus ''Rhynochetos'' and the family Rhynochetidae, alt ...

, an endangered bird which has become a symbol of the country, can be seen in its natural habitat, with a population of about 700; this is the largest single population of the species in the wild. Other endemic and rare animals in the park include the crow honeyeater, notou,

New Caledonian crow The New Caledonian crow (''Corvus moneduloides'') is a medium-sized member of the family Corvidae, native to New Caledonia. The bird is often referred to as the 'qua-qua' due to its distinctive call. It eats a wide range of food, including many ...

, and

crested gecko The crested gecko or eyelash gecko (''Correlophus ciliatus'') is a species of gecko native to southern New Caledonia. In 1866, the crested gecko was species description, described by a French zoologist named Alphonse Guichenot. This species was t ...

. The park contains a thousand-year-old, forty-metre-tall giant

Agathis lanceolata ''Agathis lanceolata'' is a species of conifer in the family Araucariaceae. It is found only in New Caledonia. It is threatened by habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a ...

tree, one of the largest known in New Caledonia. There are also wild

carnivorous plants Carnivorous plants are plants that derive some or most of their nutrients from trapping and consuming animals or protozoans, typically insects and other arthropods. Carnivorous plants still generate some of their energy from photosynthesis. Ca ...

('' Drosera neocaledonica'' and '' Nepenths vieillardii'') and

orchid Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering ...

History

Human settlement in the park is prehistoric;

petroglyph A petroglyph is an image created by removing part of a rock surface by incising, picking, carving, or abrading, as a form of rock art. Outside North America, scholars often use terms such as "carving", "engraving", or other descriptions ...

s can be found in the Blue River valley. At the beginning of the twentieth century, forestry and chrome mining led to the development of modern transport infrastructure, much of which is still in place; there are still 36km of railways for transporting logs and ore, a

traction engine A traction engine is a steam engine, steam-powered tractor used to move heavy loads on roads, plough ground or to provide power at a chosen location. The name derives from the Latin ''tractus'', meaning 'drawn', since the prime function of any t ...

winch and the Pérignon bridge, made of local wood, which crosses the branch of the lake created in the White River in 1958. The construction of the

Yaté Dam The Yaté Dam is an arch dam on the Yaté River in Yaté commune of New Caledonia, France. The primary purpose of the dam is hydroelectric power generation and it supports a 68 MW power station. Plans for the project began in the early 1950s and t ...

the same year made major changes to the terrain. The park was founded in 1980 and came under the responsibility of the South Province when the provinces of New Caledonia were created in 1989.

Recreation and tourist infrastructure

The South Province initiated the development of the park in 1998 in response to increasing visitor numbers with the goals of protecting nature, educating visitors about the environment and of further attracting tourists. A "Maison du Parc" was thus inaugurated in 2002 at the main entrance, with an exhibition hall (containing a permanent display about the park since June 2003), a library, a conference room, a shop, archives, and storage rooms. Areas set up for camping and picnics were set up along the rivers, as well as a network of walking and cycling trails.

External links

{{Commonscat, Blue River Provincial Park Geography of New Caledonia Protected areas of France Protected areas of Oceania Protected areas established in 1980 Parks in Oceania

Geography

Biodiversity

History

Recreation and tourist infrastructure

See also

External links