In New Caledonia, open-pit mining consists, among other things, in clearing vegetation on ultramafic soils, often rich in unique biodiversity, to access nickel ore. In 2006, analysis of satellite images found that 22,000 hectares had been exposed by mining activity. Since 2009, the introduction of the Mining Code and three Environmental Codes marked the start of a regulation which imposes environmental measures before, during and after operation.