THE WORLD’S GREATEST NATURAL AREAS An Indicative Inventory of Natural Sites of World Heritage Quality RJissJ O7- ‘ S02,L-1H5 THE WORLD’S GREATEST NATURAL AREAS: An Indicative Inventory of Natural Sites of World Heritage Quality By IUCN’s Commission on National Parks and Protected Areas (CNPPA) For THE WORLD HERITAGE COMMITTEE Commission on National Parks and Procted Areas INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR CONSERVATION OF NATURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES 1,aAr I us. .s. •i II.sIs SISS .a pu/ I’,,,. I It hun !)c,r I 1196 Gland. Swi tzerl and FOREWORD The presentation of the material in this document and the geographical designations employed do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of IUCN, Unesco, or the World Heritage Committee concerning the legal status of any country, territory, or area, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Some places have special importance for people. They sites which illustrate significant geological processes; have inspired us by their beauty, given us insights into and natural habitats crucial to the survival of threa the history of life on our planet, taught us about the tened plants and animals. These sites ensure the functions of natural ecosystems, informed us about the maintenance of the natural diversity upon which all evolution of our own species and culture, enthralled us mankind depends. with wildlife spectacles, saved species of outstanding I The “new” partnership between nature and culture interest, and provided us with examples of how man given international recognition by the World Heritage can live in harmonious balance with his environment. Convention is not really new. It has just been forgotten Many such places are so valuable that they form part in the modern rush to industrialize. For most of human of the heritage of all mankind. history, people have lived as part of nature and even depend on nature for both its goods — As the 1960s drew to a close, people around the world today all of us became increasingly concerned that important parts of such as forest products — and its services — such as The World Heri this natural and cultural heritage were in danger of watershed protection or recreation. reminding being lost. Poor planning, poor management, and lack tage Convention is a very useful means of of sites already of the means to carry out conservation were the main us of our link with nature.A number with reasons for this dangerous situation. on the World Heritage List record man evolving his environment. The Lower Valley of the Awash in A new sense of urgency was felt at the international Ethiopia has revealed the most complete skeleton of level. Just 10 years ago, in 1972, Unesco began its Man early pre-man yet known, and a whole family of early and the Biosphere Programme, the United Nations humans has been found, providing the earliest evidence Environment Programme was started in Stockholm, of human social behaviour. From a nearby site on the and the 2nd International Conference on National Omo River come the earliest indications of human Parks was held in Grand Teton. At each of these major industry, in the form of stone tools. The use of tools events, the idea of a World Heritage Convention was gave man his dominant position in the Animal discussed and promoted. Finally, in November 1972, Kingdom. the Convention for the Protection of the World is recorded Cultural and Natural Heritage was adopted by the At the Willandra Lakes site in Australia some of the earliest evidence of harvesting fresh-water Unesco General Conference, providing a framework wild grass seeds for international cooperation in conserving the world’s animals and using grindstones to crush harvest outstanding natural and cultural properties. to flour, showing man’s evolving ability to nature’s goods. Under the Convention, a Committee of member governments is established to decide on sites which Some of the earliest art was based on nature. At sites have been nominated for the World Heritage List. The as far apart as the Vzere Valley in France and Kakadu Committee also provides technical assistance from the National Park in Australia, there is evidence that art World Heritage Fund; at Nepal’s Sagarmatha National originated partly to give hunters a spiritual link with Park, for example, the Fund is supporting solar power their prey, a link that survives among hunters to the development to reduce the consumption of scarce present. k firewood and help save the surrounding forests. Our Some sites preserve villages where man flourished on most valuable resource is people, so the Fund also supports national training programmes and regional the sustainable bounty of nature. The island known as institutions such as the College of African Wildlife “Skunggwai” to Canada’s Haida Indians was so rich Management in Tanzania. that these non-agricultural people had the leisure time 1 to produce monumental wood-carving unmatched in The Convention is unique because it deals with both the world. But not all early human use of the cultural and natural properties. Certain archaeological environment was sustainable. Mesa Verde National sites or ancient buildings have an impact on history, Park in Colorado, USA, records a long history of art or science that transcends geographical boundaries; increasing human population and cultural sophistica some townsites or groups of buildings are of special tion. But suddenly, in the 13th century, settlements on significance because of their architecture or place in the flat land were abandoned and villages were shifted the landscape; and some sites bear exceptional witness to cliff caves; shortly after, Mesa Verde was abandoned, to a civilization which has disappeared. These out leaving behind a story of cultural complexity and, Copyright International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) standing works of man are an irreplaceable part of the finally, failure. world’s cultural heritage. Published with the financial support of the World Heritage Fund, and in cooperation with the United Nations lnvironm(nt Programme. From the very earliest periods, man has realized that Our natural heritage is an equally priceless legacy. variety is more than the spice of life: it is the very Available from the Publications Department, IUCN, Avenue du Mont-Blanc. CH-l 196 Gland, Switzerland. Natural sites considered for the World Heritage List essence of life. Without the variety of geological ISBN: 2-88032-800-4 include areas which are of superlative natural beauty; formations, climates, and species that contribute to the 3 c I I diversity of ecosystems, without the dist.inctive contri Nominating additional sites will provide increased butions of every people, the whole immense tapestry protection for important areas and species and will TABLE OF CONTENTS of humanity would have quite a different pattern. The illustrate the willingness of governments to undertake World Heritage Convention recognizes that if any part the responsibility of maintaining the integrity of their of our universal heritage is lost, mankind as a whole is share of the World’s Heritage. Clearly, a country does the poorer. not need to be a Party to the Convention to be doing everything in its power to conserve sites of interna Clearly, the Convention will work best if it is able to tional But the Convention helps to protect a significant portion of the world’s outstanding importance. joining natural and cultural sites. As part of IUCN’s contribu strengthen international solidarity in defence of the heritage of all mankind. By working together to achieve tion to the Convention, the Commission on National FOREWORD 3 27. Asjr National Park (Saudi Arabia) 24 the objectives of the World Heritage Convention, all Parks and Protected Areas (CNPPA) has prepared an INTRODUCTION 7 28. Coto Donana National Park (Spain) 25 25 indicative inventory of the world’s most outstanding peoples and governments are contributing to a better THE NEARCTIC REALM 9 29. Swedish Lapland (Sweden) 30. Bernese Oberland (Switzerland) 25 natural areas. This inventory of future for humanity. Nahanni National Park (Canada) 9 first international 2. Dinosaur Provincial Park (Canada) 9 31. lchkeul National Park (Tunisia) 26 superlative natural sites is presented to illustrate the 3. Burgess Shale Site (Canada) 9 32. St. Kilda National Nature Reserve sorts of areas that might be considered of World 4. BaniT and Jasper National Parks (Canada) 9 (United Kingdom) 26 Jeffrey A. McNeely 10 33. Cairngorms National Nature Reserve Heritage quality; it is our hope that this list — far from 5. Wood BulThlo National Park (Canada) Executive Officer 6. Roderick Haig-Brown Conservation Area (United Kingdom) 26 exhaustive or complete — will stimulate additional IUCN Commission on National Parks )Canada) 10 34. Sikhote-Alinskv State Reserve (USSR) 26 ideas about outstanding sites for future editions of the Kandalakcha State Resere (USSR) 26 and Protected Areas 7. Gros Morne National Park (Canada) II 35. inventory and, more immediately, encourage nomina 8. Eclipse Sound/Bvlot Island (Canada) II 36. Kara-Bojaz Gol (USSR) 26 (USSR) 26 tions of the listed sites and convince governments 2 September 1982 9. Prince Leopold Island (Canada) 12 37. Badkhyzsky The Delta of the Amu Darya, which have not joined the Convention to do so. Gland, Switzerland 10. Ellesmere Island National Park (Canada) 12 38. II. Tuktovaktuk Pingoes (Canada) 12 on the Aral Sea (USSR) 27 2. Thomsen River (Canada) 13 39. Chatkalsky State Reserve (USSR) 27 3. Beringian Refugium (Canada) 13 40. Baikalskv and Darguzinskv State 14. Kluane National ParkWrangell Reserves (USSR) 27 St. Elias National Monument (Canada and USA) 13 41. Plitvice Lakes National Park (Yugoslavia) 28 IS. Yellowstone National Park (USA) 13 42. Lake Ohrid Region (Yugoslavia) 28 16. Mesa Verde National Park (USA) 3 17.