New Caledonia is one of the few countries that has taken precaution to protect its natural environment. When Shrimp Farming began, a conscious effort was taken to protect the mangrove forest in the wetlands of the New Caledonian West Coast. Shrimp Farms were built behind the Mangrove ecosystem, which are a crucial part in the aquaculture practices of New Caledonia by providing a natural filtration system for the effluents.

As of 2004, there are 19 shrimp farms producing close to 4.8 million pounds of shrimp and covering an area of 1,668 acres. Only 5 acres of Mangrove were sacrificed during construction. The French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea (IFREMER- Institut Française de Rechercher pour l'Exploitation de la Mer) has been monitoring the impact of Shrimp farming on the Mangrove Forest. During their first assessment in 2004 to determine if there were any negative effects on the mangrove, it was concluded that the only impact on the mangrove was the effluents from the ponds. However this discharge pond water enriched and flooded areas where the mangrove did not grow and caused a landward migration of the mangrove forest thus increasing its density and coverage.

Because of strict EU standards for importing shrimp to Europe, Shrimp Farmers in New Caledonia don't use antibiotics or other chemicals in the pond water so there will be no impact on the Mangrove ecosystem. Also the Shrimp Farms are on a closed cycle, which reduces the chance of farmed raised shrimp being present in the natural ecosystem.

Today, the IFREMER continues to monitor the impact of shrimp aquaculture on the coastal environment and finds that there is no noticeable change to this precious ecosystem.