The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has expressed interest to support World Heritage bids for five sites.
South Africa’s iSimangaliso Wetland Park, is on the list of five World Heritage sites, to include Maputo National Park in Mozambique. This is due to its mosaic of colourful coral reefs, white sandy beaches, and extensive seagrass meadows, which are home to large aggregations of nesting sea turtles, flocks of breeding flamingos and other important waterfowl.
Tim Badman, Director of World Heritage at IUCN, said “there’s a need for greater action on the imbalance of the World Heritage List, to support regions and countries that are underrepresented. The nomination of these extraordinary sites as World Heritage areas is a positive step towards addressing the gaps on the list and safeguarding some of the planet’s most unique sites for nature and people.”
Other sites are Guinea Bissau’s Coastal and Marine Ecosystems of the Bijagos Archipelago – Omatí Minhô , which boasts marine and intertidal environments. It is also home to one of the most important sites for nesting sea turtles and up to 850,000 birds migrating as far as 6000 km from Northern Europe, to forage in the Bijagós Archipelago. If inscribed in Paris this July, Omatí Minhô will be Guinea Bissau’s first World Heritage site.
Another site is Sierra Leone’s Gola-Tiwai Complex, which could be the country’s first World Heritage site, if inscribed. It has rich evergreen and swamp forests, home to globally threatened Western Chimpanzee, Pygmy Hippopotamus and many other emblematic species.
The IUCN has also recommended the extension of Vietnam’s Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, to include Hin Nam No National Park in Lao PDR. This site has the best tropical karst systems globally with forested limestone peaks and an extraordinary diversity of caves, hosting highly specialised and endemic species.
The breath-taking beauty of Mount Kumgang – Diamond Mountain from the Sea in Korea, is another recommended site. This is due to its dramatic mountain peaks, with plunging valleys, waterfalls and pools that change colour through the seasons.
Picture of Isimangaliso Wetlands Park, Supplied.