Adjeroud Mehdi auteur aut IRD Gilbert A. auteur aut IRD Facon M. auteur aut IRD Foglia M. auteur aut IRD Moreton B. auteur aut IRD Heintz T. auteur aut IRD text journalArticle eng text/pdf born digital access We report here an interannual survey (2006-2012) of coral cover in the northwestern lagoon of New Caledonia, to assess the impact of an important dredging operation (August 2008-February 2010) associated with the construction of the largest nickel mining site in the Pacific. A BACI (Before-After Control-Impact) analysis failed to detect any significant interaction between period (before, during, and after dredging) and the category of the stations (impact vs. control). Among the 31 stations surveyed, only seven showed decreasing coral cover during the study period, mainly due to a decline in Acroporidae. However, the relationship between the dredging and this decrease was highly plausible only for one station, situated 0.9 km from the dredging site. High hydrodynamism in the study area, the abundance of resistant corals and efficient protective measures during the dredging operation might explain these localised and limited impacts. specialized Coral reefs Scleractinian corals Dredging Interannual variability Monitoring New Caledonia NOUVELLE CALEDONIE PACIFIQUE 038 105 1 208-214 2016 0025-326X https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010066889 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2016.02.028 0025-326X [F B010066889] https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010066889 https://www.documentation.ird.fr/intranet/publi/2016/06/010066889.pdf Accès réservé (Intranet de l'IRD) IRD - Base Horizon / Pleins textes 2016-06-29 2017-08-23 fdi:010066889 fre