New Nature World Heritage

1. These eight stunning natural sites are
amongst the best of what nature has to offer

2. Eight natural wonders have been
added to the World Heritage List;
areas which are considered to be
irreplaceable sources of life and
inspiration, and thus are of
outstanding universal value to
humanity.
The preservation of sites on the
World Heritage List is vital, not
only as a legacy of the past and
for our lives today, but to ensure
these unique and diverse sites
are here for the benefit of future
generations

3. These new sites highlight the
incredible diversity and beauty
nature has to offer, from the
dramatic mountain landscape of
the Swiss Tectonic Arena Sardona
to the undisturbed steppe and lakes of
Saryarka in Central Asia.
Joining these two are the tropical
lagoons and reefs of New Caledonia,
the newly formed volcanic island
of Surtsey in Iceland,

4. and the Socotra Archipelago
in Yemen, where the rich
biodiversity has earned
Socotra
the nickname of
‘the Galápagos of the
Indian Ocean’.
Canada’s Joggins Fossil Cliffs,
displaying an incredibly complete
fossil record of the Coal Age,

5. The remarkable granite peaks
of Mount Sanqingshan
National Park in China
and the Monarch Butterfly
Biosphere Reserve in Mexico,
also join this impressive list.

6. Swiss Tectonic
Arena Sardona,
Switzerland
The clear exposure of the Glarus Overthrust, a line
where older rocks overlay younger rocks, is a key
feature, shows how mountains were formed through
continental collisions

7. Swiss Tectonic
Arena Sardona,
Switzerland

8. Split between the Naurzum and
Korgalzhyn State Nature Reserves,
the wetlands that grace this 1.1 million
acre (450,344 hectare)
region provide a key stopover on the
Central Asia flyway for migratory water
birds from Africa, Europe and South
Asia.
More than 40% of the Central Asian
flyway population of Endangered White-
headed Duck Oxyura leucocephala use
the Tengiz-Korgalzhyn region of Central
Kazakhstan.

9. Naurzum and
Korgalzhyn State Nature
Reserves

10. • Kazakhstan's Saryarka is an
undisturbed area of Central Asian
steppe and lakes in the Korgalzhyn
and Naurzum State Nature Reserves.

11. Saiga antelope (Saiga tatarica)
Increased protection of
Saryarka in northern
Kazakhstan, one of the areas
where this nomadic animal
roams, would greatly benefit
the saiga.

12. Saryarka Steppe and Lakes of
Northern Kazakhstan
The peculiar-looking
saiga is considered to
be Critically
Endangered, a result
of habitat degradation,
poaching and
disturbance.

14. Lagoons of New Caledonia
(France),Pacific Ocean
The healthy, intact
marine ecosystems
are home to
threatened fish
species, turtles, and
the world's third
largest population of
dugongs o seacows,
large vegetarian
mammals related to
manatees.

15. Reefs of New Caledonia
• The tropical lagoons and
coral reefs of New Caledonia
form one of the three most
extensive reef systems in
the world. They are
inhabited by an exceptional
variety of coral and fish
species and have intact
ecosystems with healthy
populations of big fish and
top predators. • They are home to dramatic
displays of coral diversity,
massive coral structures, together
with arches, caves and major
fissures in the reefs. There is
nothing else quite like them in the
world.

16. Found in coral reefs in the tropical
western Pacific, including those
around New Caledonia, the pygmy
seahorse is undoubtedly one of the
most well camouflaged species in
the oceans, being almost
impossible to spot amongst the
vibrant coral it inhabits.
Pygmy seahorse
(Hippocampus
bargibanti)

17. The humphead wrasse
One of the largest
reef fishes in the
world, is also found
in the coral reefs
surrounding New
Caledonia.
A worrying decline in
numbers of this
Endangered fish has
recently been
reported.

18. S u r t s e y

19. S u r t s e y
Surtsey is a new island
in Iceland that was
formed by volcanic
eruptions from 1963
through 1967.
The island of Surtsey,
found 20 miles (32
kilometers) off the
southern coast of
Iceland
It offers a unique
scientific record of
the process of
colonization of land
by plants and animals.
Part of the evolution of
Surtsey is the process
of coastal erosion
which has already
halved the area of the
island and over time
is predicted to remove
another two thirds,
leaving only the most
resistant core.

20. An aerial photograph of
Surtsey taken on August
29, 2002. North is at the
top of the photo. The
semicircular craters in the
centre of the photo reach
an elevation of 154 m.
The light brown areas are
palagonite tuff. The lava
has flowed principally to
the south and east, and a
large vegetation spot can
be seen where a large
gull colony is located in
the southernmost part of
he lava.
S u r t s e y
It is a well known
fact that birds are
seed carriers.
Once a dense
seagull
population had
begun to form in
Surtsey in 1986,
numerous new
plant species
colonized the
island in the
following years.

21. S u r t s e y
Not only is Surtsey
geographically isolated,
but it has been legally
protected from its birth,
providing the world with
a pristine natural
laboratory, free from
human interference,Above
all, because of its
continuing protection,
Surtsey will continue to
provide invaluable data
on biological
colonization long into
the future.

22. Socotra Archipelago,Yemen
Dragon's blood trees grow in the
archipelago, which consists of
four islands and two rocky islets
that trail for 150 miles (250
kilometers) off the Horn of Africa

23. • About 37 percent of Socotra's plant species, 90
percent of its reptile species and 95 percent of its
land snail species are found nowhere else in the
world.
• The nature sanctuaries, national parks and areas
of special botanical interest in the archipelago
encompass about 75 percent of its total land area.
The marine life of Socotra is also very diverse,
with 253 species of reef-building corals, 730
species of coastal fish and 300 species of crab,
lobster and shrimp.

24. Socotra bunting (Emberiza
socotrana)
Known from just
a few sites on the island
of Socotra, the tiny range
of the Socotra Bunting
makes it very vulnerable to
any
threats that may arise.
Hopefully
the island’s new
designation as a
World Heritage Site
will prevent any
activities that may
threaten this
unmistakable bird.

25. • The enormous
colonies of
Socotra
Cormorants form a
spectacular sight
on Socotra. With
their primarily
black plumage and
black bill, the mass
of jostling black
shapes almost
appear like a single
moving organism,
blanketing and
enveloping the
sandy bays on
which they live.

26. Socotra cormorant
colony on
shoreline
(Phalacrocorax
nigrogularis)

27. Joggins Fossil Cliffs,Canada
Full of ancient fossils
dating as far back as 354
million years ago, this 9-
mile (14.7-kilometer) tract
of coastal cliffs in Nova
Scotia is among eight
new natural wonders
added in July 2008 to the
United Nations list of
World Heritage sites.
Once a rain forest teeming
with life, the cliffs hold
fossils from 148 ancient
species and 20 groups of
fossil footprints.

28. That funny-looking rock is
actually an old fossilized
tree. The fossil cliffs are
home to enormous
fossilized trees and
what's believed to be the
remains of the world's
oldest reptile
It's truly a marvelous
place — you can see
the entire ancient
landscapes of the Earth
laid out before you, so
to speak

29. Mount
Sanqingshan
National Park
in eastern China's
Jiangxi province has
been added to the list
due to its outstanding
natural beauty. The park
contains a unique array
of forested, fantastically
shaped granite pillars
and peaks concentrated
in a relatively small area

30. Mount
Sanqingshan
National Park

32. Monarch Butterfly Biosphere
Reserve,Mexico
The three core zones of the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere
Reserve protect eight overwintering colonies of the
monarch butterfly in the oyamel fir forests of central
Mexico. Perhaps a billion monarch butterflies
overwinter here in close-packed clusters every year
after a 3,500 to 4,500 kilometer journey from points in
the United States and Canada.
Every year millions, if not billions, of Monarch
butterflies winter in densely forested mountains 60
miles (100 kilometers) northwest ofMexico City.
In the spring these butterflies begin an eight-month
migration that takes them all the way to Eastern
Canada and back, during which time four successive
generations are born and die

33. Monarch Butterfly Biosphere
Reserve,Mexico
• The butterfly
sanctuaries, half of
which prohibit tourism
to protect the beautiful
insects, remain one of
the most awesome
sights when populated
with monarchs that
migrate from the United
States and Canada to
winter in Mexico.

34. Created by Olga Katerin (Okaterin)
www.slideshare.net/okaterin
The End