Area: 132,1 km²
Location: Loyalty Islands, New-Caledonia
Number of inhabitants: between 3401 to 5296
Island Protected : Yes
Maritime protection status: Since 2008, the “Ouvea and
Beautemps-Baupré area” is part of the 6 marine protected areas of New-
Caledonia, listed as World Heritage Site by the UNESCO, for its reef
diversity and the associated ecosystems.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
The major part of Ouvea population is Kanak, thus the “custom” in its broad meaning represents all the unwritten rules that regulate the social balance of the Kanak society, organized in tribes.
SOCIO-CULTURAL CONTEXT
In addition to French, two Austronesian languages are spoken in Ouvea: the IAAI and the Faga-uvea.
According to the ISEE census of 2019,
- The young people of less than 20 years old represent 32,4% of the population and the aged ones of more than 65 years old : 53,3%
- Concerning the graduation rate , 16,2% of the population got a graduation
superior to Bac+2 and 9,2% a level of Bac+2 - The activity rate of the 15 – 64 years old people is 62,9%, the employment rate is 43,6%, the unemployment rate is 30,8%. The economic sectors the most represented are: services, commerce and agriculture-fishing
- The rate of employment concentration is 96%: 96 jobs for 100 employed people are located in the island.
ENVIRONMENTAL CONTEXT
Environmentally, Ouvea suffers directly from the climate change consequences. It reinforces the necessity and the emergency of bold actions to preserve, adapt and improve the resilience of the territory. Ouvea peaks at 10 meters high, so the rise of water levels causes an important coastline recession. Besides, these last years, the island has to cope with increased number and intensity of cyclones.
ECONOMICAL CONTEXT
Economically, the Loyalty Islands Province imports for around 3 billion euros of goods. So, one of the most important issues is to produce locally, in order to improve the island autonomy and to limit the negative impacts of these massive importations on the environment and the society.