Mt. Panié - Last Stand for New Caledonia’s Sacred Kauri

Our journey begins atop New Caledonia’s highest peak, home to the single last stand of the ancient Kauri tree, a canopy tree which lives over 1,000 years. Truly a story of ’reef-to-ridge’ connectivity, in which local conservation heroes relate how this sacred forest feeds the rivers and rich coral reefs of this tropical paradise, and how the people depend on the continued health of this natural system. The film takes you on their deep and personal journey, for themselves and for their children, to understand how climate change and invasive species are killing these ancient trees, a species that has been recognized as Critically Endangered, and how the increasing loss of these trees places the local (Kanak) way of life and unique culture under threat. But there is hope. With support from Conservation International, and Province Nord government, the local Kanak tribes and clans have responded by creating the first indigenous conservation organization in New Caledonia. They are now determined t