Wonders bid for heritage status

FE Team | Published: June 17, 2007 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00

Five of the world's natural wonders have been nominated for inclusion on the UN World Heritage List, according to BBC.
A biodiversity-rich rainforest in Madagascar and Tenerife's volcanic landscape are among the sites favoured by the World Conservation Union (IUCN).
A total of 37 natural and cultural sites will be considered by the UN World Heritage Committee.
The committee will make its final decision at its annual meeting, which begins on 23 June in New Zealand.
The prestigious list, co-ordinated by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco), was set up to ensure the long-term protection of globally important cultural and natural sites.
The five locations selected for consideration by the IUCN, an official advisory body to Unesco, are:
South China Karst: described as being unrivalled for the diversity of its karst features - a unique underground landscape formed by water eroding limestone and marble rocks.
Rainforests of Atsinanana, Madagascar: home to a unique array of species, 80-90 per cent of which are only found on the island nation. Deforestation has destroyed more than 90 per cent of the original forest
Jeju volcanic island, Korea: includes a shield volcano that is about 1.2 million years old, and an "impressive and significant" system of lava tubes (underground tunnels formed by lava flows)
Primeval beech forests, eastern Europe: found in Slovakia and Ukraine, the woodlands are "an outstanding example of undisturbed, complex temperate forests"
Teide National Park, Spain: situated on the island of Tenerife, the park was nominated for its "mature, slow-moving and geologically complex volcanic system".
The IUCN will also propose that the committee considers taking action to improve the level of protection for existing World Heritage sites that have been identified as being at risk.