Global Conservation
World Heritage
Glacier Perito Morena (World Heritage Site) in Los
Glaciares National Park, Santa Cruz, Argentina
Some places transcend time and national boundaries and become the common
inheritance of mankind. These places are now given international recognition
as World Heritage Sites or Biosphere Reserves. There are
twenty
World Heritage sites in the United States (including two sites jointly
administered with Canada). Significantly
eighteen
units of the United States National Park System have been designated a
World Heritage Site. Some of those were designated for their unique natural
resources. For example, the Redwood National and State Parks together comprise
a World Heritage Site, so designated for the rugged coastlines, streams, rivers,
and ancient redwood forests. Some were designated for a combination of unique
natural and cultural resources. The Everglades, a subtropical mosaic of surprising
diversity, is a refuge for 13 threatened or endangered animal species. In
addition, human history spans over 2000 years--from nomadic Calusa to modern
settler. Because of this unique weave of natural and cultural history, Everglades
National Park became a World Heritage Site in 1979.
Wrangell-St. Elias and Kluane National Park Reserve in the Yukon Territory
of Canada were originally designated a World Heritage Site in 1978. In 1993,
both Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve and the Alsek-Tatshenshini Provincial
Park in British Columbia were added to that designation. Together these form
one of the largest roadless mountain areas in the world and represent the largest
internationally protected area in the world.
Many
more sites (cultural and natural) are likely to meet the criteria for future
nomination to the World Heritage List.
