The Goro Nickel mining company in New Caledonia says it welcomes and fully supports a UNESCO world heritage listing of the territory's reefs.
The decision to recognise 15,000 square kilometres of the world's second largest coral reef has been made at a Unesco meeting in Canada.
The zone includes a lagoon in the south, where activists have campaigned against a Goro Nickel company waste pipeline, saying it will contaminate the area.
Goro says it is implementing all required environmental measures and it is committed to sustainable mining.
