48 globaltravelerusa.com MARCH 2019
THE CULTURAL AND NATURAL DIVERSITY around
the world is breathtaking; however, in the past it was up
to each country to protect that heritage. For decades,
UNESCO — the United Nations Educational, Scientific
and Cultural Organization — bestowed locations with the
World Heritage Site designation, requiring the protection
of properties with “outstanding universal value” in order
to be listed. To quote directly: “To be deemed of Out-
standing Universal Value, a property must also meet the
conditions of integrity and/or authenticity and must have
an adequate protection and management system to ensure
its safeguarding.” By doing so, all countries of the worldtook a big step forward in promoting a world consciousness
of the innate value of country heritages — both cultural
and natural.
UNESCO inscribed the first World Heritage sites in
1978, with 12 making the list. The United States contrib-
uted two of the 12 that year: Yellowstone National Park, the
most seismically active area of the Rocky Mountains with
more than 200 features like geysers, hot springs, mud pots
and fumaroles; and Mesa Verde, an architectural tribute
to the lost Anasazi (Ancestral Pueblans) civilization. The
Galápagos Islands, famous for the sheer number of unique
and endemic species, also made the list, as did two sites from
Canada: Nahanni National Park in the Northwest Territo-
ries for its river, cave and canyon landscape; and L’Anse aux
Meadows, a national historic site in Labrador marking the
earliest European presence in North America.TODAY THE UNESCO WORLD Heritage list includes
1,092 properties. Of these, 845 are deemed culturally
significant while 209 meet the natural criteria, and 38A World of Wonders
UNESCO’s World Heritage list aims to protect and promote
outstanding natural and cultural sites. BY KARIN LEPERI
feature
NATURAL AND
CULTURAL:
(Left to right) Wildlife in
the Okavango Delta in
northern Botswana; Angkor,
Cambodia; Mausoleum of the
First Qin Emperor (terracotta
warriors); and Banff National
Park in the Canadian Rockies
PHOTOS: © STEVE ALLEN -
DREAMSTIME.COM, © SORIN COLAC
- DREAMSTIME.COM,
© TATSUO115 - DREAMSTIME.COM,
© HELLEN8 - DREAMSTIME.COM