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71-720: Designated a World Heritage Site in 2017, the park was created in 1937 to protect forests of alerce trees, called lahuán by the Mapuche people, and other examples of the flora of the Patagonian Andes. The National Park has the largest alerce forest in Argentina. Alerce is often compared in appearance to the Sequoia trees of the United States, reaching a very large size. It is one of the longest-living trees in

142-417: A UNESCO report titled "World Heritage and Tourism in a Changing Climate". The Australian government's actions, involving considerable expense for lobbying and visits for diplomats , were in response to their concern about the negative impact that an "at risk" label could have on tourism revenue at a previously designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. In 2021, international scientists recommended UNESCO to put

213-570: A legacy of the ancient supercontinent of Gondwana , a landmass formerly composed of South America, Africa, India, Antarctica and Australia. The high degree of endemic species and monospecific genera is thought to be linked to the geographic isolation came into being as result of the uplift of the Andes . There are a few " boreal " components in the Valdivian temperate rain forest which arrived by long-distance transport. Yet another component are

284-488: A minor boundary change, one that does not have a significant impact on the extent of the property or affect its "outstanding universal value", is also evaluated by the advisory bodies before being sent to the committee. Such proposals can be rejected by either the advisory bodies or the Committee if they judge it to be a significant change instead of a minor one. Proposals to change a site's official name are sent directly to

355-543: A relatively narrow Chilean coastal strip, between the Pacific Ocean to the west and the southern Andes Mountains to the east, from roughly 37° to 48° south latitude. North of 42°, the Chilean Coast Range stretches on, with just the north–south running Chilean Central Valley between it and the Andes. South of 42°, the coast range continues as a chain of offshore islands (including Chiloé Island and

426-756: A remarkable accomplishment of humankind and serve as evidence of our intellectual history on the planet, or it might be a place of great natural beauty. As of July 2024, a total of 1,223 World Heritage Sites (952 cultural, 231 natural and 40 mixed cultural and natural properties) exist across 168 countries . With 60 selected areas, Italy is the country with the most sites, followed by China with 59, and Germany with 54. The sites are intended for practical conservation for posterity, which otherwise would be subject to risk from human or animal trespassing, unmonitored, uncontrolled or unrestricted access, or threat from local administrative negligence. Sites are demarcated by UNESCO as protected zones. The World Heritage Sites list

497-1000: A single text was eventually agreed upon by all parties, and the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage was adopted by the General Conference of UNESCO on 16 November 1972. The convention came into force on 17 December 1975. As of November 2024, it has been ratified by 196 states: 192 UN member states , two UN observer states (the Holy See and the State of Palestine ), and two states in free association with New Zealand (the Cook Islands and Niue ). Only one UN member state, Liechtenstein , has not ratified

568-464: A variety of broadleaf evergreen trees, including Laureliopsis philippiana , Aextoxicon punctatum , Eucryphia cordifolia , Caldcluvia paniculata , and Weinmannia trichosperma , with an understory of Myrceugenia planipes , the arrayán ( Luma apiculata ) and other plants. Old-growth Valdivian evergreen forest (siempreverde) tend to form stratified canopy made up of two or three layers. Patagonian Andean forests . The third forest type

639-428: Is a bamboo that grows in humid areas below 500 m, where Chusquea culeou becomes more dominant above. Chusquea quila can form pure stands called quilantales . Very few plants can grow under this species. Other notable species are the nalca or Chilean rhubarb ( Gunnera tinctoria ) and the ferns Lophosoria quadripinnata and Parablechnum cordatum . Chile's national flower, the copihue ( Lapageria rosea )

710-445: Is a pioneer species that grows in disturbed areas of the Valdivian rain forest. The maximum plant species richness is found at latitudes 40 to 43° S. There are four main types of forest ecosystems in the Valdivian ecoregion. Deciduous forests . At the northern end of the ecoregion are deciduous forests, dominated by deciduous species of southern beech , including rauli ( Nothofagus alpina ) and roble ( N. obliqua ). This

781-514: Is a low diversity of mammals in Chilean temperate forests. The slender-billed parakeet ( Enicognathus leptorhynchus ) is endemic. Near-endemic and limited-range birds include the Chilean pigeon ( Patagioenas araucana ), Black-throated huet-huet ( Pteroptochos tarnii ), Chucao tapaculo ( Scelorchilus rubecula ), and Ochre-flanked tapaculo ( Eugralla paradoxa ). Hummingbirds are common in

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852-597: Is a transitional zone to the Mediterranean-climate region to the north. It grows from 35 to 36º S latitude along Chilean Coast Range , where it is known as Maulino forest . Nothofagus glauca and N. Alessandrii are predominant trees in Maulino forest. Deciduous Nothofagus forests also grow along the Andes of central Chile as far north as 33º S latitude, from approximately 1,200 meters elevation up to

923-570: Is an ecoregion on the west coast of southern South America , in Chile and Argentina . It is part of the Neotropical realm . The forests are named after the city of Valdivia . The Valdivian temperate rainforests are characterized by their dense understories of bamboos , ferns , and for being mostly dominated by evergreen angiosperm trees with some deciduous specimens, though conifer trees are also common. Temperate rain forests comprise

994-467: Is at about 2,400 m in the northern part of the ecoregion (35° S), and descends to 1,000 m in the south of the Valdivian region. The Valdivian temperate rain forests are temperate broadleaf and mixed forests . The Valdivian and Magellanic temperate rainforests are the only temperate rain forests in South America and one of a small number of temperate rain forests in the world. Together they are

1065-585: Is maintained by the international World Heritage Program administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee , composed of 21 "states parties" that are elected by the United Nations General Assembly , and advised by reviews of international panels of experts in natural or cultural history, and education. The Program catalogues, names, and conserves sites of outstanding cultural or natural importance to

1136-482: Is the Patagonian Andean forests , which are distributed at higher elevations along the Andes mountain front, and are dominated by evergreen conifers , including pehuén ( Araucaria araucana ) and alerce ( Fitzroya cupressoides ). The alerce looks like a giant sequoia , and is a rival in longevity to the bristlecone pine , some with growth rings recording 3,625 years of local weather cycles. Closer to

1207-709: The Chonos Archipelago ), while the "Central Valley" is submerged and continues as the Gulf of Corcovado . Much of the ecoregion was once covered by the Patagonian Ice Sheet and other glaciers during the peak of the last ice age , with ice descending from the Andes mountains; numerous bodies of water within the Chilean Lake District (in the central part of the ecoregion) are the remnants of ancient glacial valleys. The southern part of

1278-599: The Futaleufú emerges below Amutui Quimey reservoir and becomes the southern boundary of the National Park. Scattered around the mountains and valleys of the park are a number of smaller lakes and streams. The highest point in the Los Alerces National Park is Cordon de las Pirámides, 2,440 metres (8,010 ft) in elevation. The lowest point in the park is about 330 metres (1,080 ft) where

1349-478: The Pacific Ocean strike the Andes on the Chilean-Argentine border and produce up to 3,000 millimetres (120 in) of precipitation annually, mostly in the form of rain at lower elevations and snow at higher elevations. Eastward from the crest of the Andes, in a rain shadow , precipitation decreases rapidly, falling to about 800 millimetres (31 in) at the eastern edge of the park. Temperatures in

1420-868: The Pacific Plate ), the coast-hugging temperate rainforests of the Pacific Northwest (from Northern California to Southern Alaska , roughly 40°-60° north latitude) exist in similar settings, with the Rocky Mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. East of the Rocky Mountains, the North American prairie grassland stretches from south-central Canada to Texas , not unlike the Argentine grasslands to

1491-796: The United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm. Under the World Heritage Committee, signatory countries are required to produce and submit periodic data reporting providing the committee with an overview of each participating nation's implementation of the World Heritage Convention and a "snapshot" of current conditions at World Heritage properties. Based on the draft convention that UNESCO had initiated,

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1562-540: The refugia of the Valdivian temperate rain forest between latitudes 41 and 37° S were; the coastal region, the lower slopes of the Chilean Coast Range and the westernmost Chilean Central Valley all of which remained free of disturbance by the glacial, glacifluvial and periglacial disturbance through the glaciation. Some of the threatened mammals of the Valdivian forests include the monito del monte (Dromiciops gliroides) , an arboreal marsupial ,

1633-600: The southern pudú (Pudu puda) the world's smallest deer , and the kodkod (Leopardus guigna) , South America's smallest cat . Since the beginning of the 20th century, there have also been nonnative wild boars living in the Valdivian forests. The Chilean climbing mouse ( Irenomys tarsalis ) and Chilean shrew opossum ( Rhyncholestes raphanurus ) are endemic to the ecoregion. Most mammal genera in Valdivian forests are also found in semi-arid parts of Patagonia . Relative to similar forest in North America there

1704-455: The tree line at 2,400 meters elevation. A krummholz of Nothofagus antarctica and N. pumilio grows near the tree line. The southern limit of these forests is 38º S latitude. Tall coniferous pehuén monkey-puzzle trees ( Araucaria araucana ) grow at the southern edge of the deciduous forests, from the coast at Nahuelbuta National Park to the Andes. Valdivian laurel-leaved forests . Valdivian laurel-leaved forests , characterized by

1775-456: The windward slope of the Chilean Coast Range and the Andes , creating orographic rainfall . Average annual precipitation varies from 1,000 mm at the northern edge of the ecoregion to more than 6,000 mm per year in the south. The northern portion of the ecoregion has a Submediterranean climate , with rainfall concentrated in the winter months. This seasonality decreases towards the south. Average annual temperatures are fairly uniform within

1846-578: The Futaleufú river crosses into Chile. The tree line is about 1,400 metres (4,600 ft). Higher than that is sparse vegetation, bare rock, and permanent or semi-permanent snowfields. Torrecillas glacier is between the two arms of Lake Menėnendez. The lower elevations in Los Alerces National Park are classified as Oceanic climates , denominated Cfb, or humid continental climates, Dfb, in the Köppen climate classification system. Moisture-laden clouds from

1917-707: The Great Barrier Reef on the endangered list, as global climate change had caused a further negative state of the corals and water quality. Again, the Australian government campaigned against this, and in July 2021, the World Heritage Committee , made up of diplomatic representatives of 21 countries, ignored UNESCO's assessment, based on studies of scientists, "that the reef was clearly in danger from climate change and so should be placed on

1988-1038: The List of World Heritage in Danger and the World Heritage List. Only three sites have ever been delisted : the Arabian Oryx Sanctuary in Oman, the Dresden Elbe Valley in Germany, and the Liverpool Maritime Mercantile City in the United Kingdom. The Arabian Oryx Sanctuary was directly delisted in 2007, instead of first being put on the danger list, after the Omani government decided to reduce

2059-582: The South Atlantic, is part of the Europe and North America region because the British government nominated the site. The table below includes a breakdown of the sites according to these regions and their classification as of July 2024 : This overview lists the 23 countries with 15 or more World Heritage Sites: Valdivian temperate rain forests The Valdivian temperate forests (NT0404)

2130-411: The Valdivian forests because of the presence of plants like the maqui ( Aristotelia chilensis ) and the copihue . The Valdivian forests include stands of huge trees, especially Nothofagus and Fitzroya , which can live to a great age. These magnificent rainforests are endangered by extensive logging and their replacement by fast-growing pines and eucalyptus , which are more sought-after by

2201-609: The World Heritage Committee for new designations. The Committee meets once a year to determine which nominated properties to add to the World Heritage List; sometimes it defers its decision or requests more information from the country that nominated the site. There are ten selection criteria – a site must meet at least one to be included on the list. Until 2004, there were six sets of criteria for cultural heritage and four for natural heritage. In 2005, UNESCO modified these and now has one set of ten criteria. Nominated sites must be of "outstanding universal value" and must meet at least one of

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2272-998: The World Heritage Fund to facilitate its conservation under certain conditions. UNESCO reckons the restorations of the following four sites among its success stories: Angkor in Cambodia, the Old City of Dubrovnik in Croatia, the Wieliczka Salt Mine near Kraków in Poland, and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area in Tanzania. Additionally, the local population around a site may benefit from significantly increased tourism revenue. When there are significant interactions between people and

2343-407: The area, especially at coastal locations where annual temperature differences between localities never exceed 7 °C. The northward-flowing oceanic Humboldt Current creates humid and foggy conditions near the coast. In the summer the temperature can climb to 16.5 °C (62 °F), while during winter the temperature can drop below 7 °C (45 °F). Winter temperatures are lower at higher elevations. The tree line

2414-501: The awards, because World Heritage listing can significantly increase tourism returns. Site listing bids are often lengthy and costly, putting poorer countries at a disadvantage. Eritrea 's efforts to promote Asmara are one example. In 2016, the Australian government was reported to have successfully lobbied for the World Heritage Site Great Barrier Reef conservation efforts to be removed from

2485-504: The commitment of countries and local population to World Heritage conservation in various ways, providing emergency assistance for sites in danger, offering technical assistance and professional training, and supporting States Parties' public awareness-building activities. Being listed as a World Heritage Site can positively affect the site, its environment, and interactions between them. A listed site gains international recognition and legal protection, and can obtain funds from, among others,

2556-454: The committee. A site may be added to the List of World Heritage in Danger if conditions threaten the characteristics for which the landmark or area was inscribed on the World Heritage List. Such problems may involve armed conflict and war, natural disasters, pollution, poaching, or uncontrolled urbanisation or human development. This danger list is intended to increase international awareness of

2627-417: The common culture and heritage of humankind. The programme began with the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage , which was adopted by the General Conference of UNESCO on 16 November 1972. Since then, 196 states have ratified the convention, making it one of the most widely recognised international agreements and the world's most popular cultural programme. In 1954,

2698-412: The convention. By assigning places as World Heritage Sites, UNESCO wants to help preserve them for future generations. Its motivation is that "heritage is our legacy from the past, what we live with today" and that both cultural and natural heritage are "irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration". UNESCO's mission with respect to World Heritage consists of eight sub targets. These include encouraging

2769-577: The east of the Andes. Similar to the Atacama region of Chile, the Baja California and Sonoran deserts in the US/Mexican states of California and Baja California act as climatic borders for the northwest’s rainforests. Since the forest is located at around 40 degrees south, it is strongly influenced by the westerlies . The water vapour held by the westerlies condenses as they encounter

2840-650: The endangered monuments and sites. In 1960, the Director-General of UNESCO launched the International Campaign to Save the Monuments of Nubia . This resulted in the excavation and recording of hundreds of sites, the recovery of thousands of objects, as well as the salvage and relocation to higher ground of several important temples. The most famous of these are the temple complexes of Abu Simbel and Philae . The campaign ended in 1980 and

2911-408: The equator, incidents of endemism becoming more frequent as one moves equatorward. Lowland soils near the coast contain more available nutrients than more inland soils. The flora of the forests has inherited and developed its characteristics due to a variety of causes. Its Neotropical affinities reflect its current geographic connection to the remaining South America. Its "Gondwanan" species are

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2982-538: The government of Egypt decided to build the new Aswan High Dam , whose resulting future reservoir would eventually inundate a large stretch of the Nile valley containing cultural treasures of ancient Egypt and ancient Nubia . In 1959, the governments of Egypt and Sudan requested the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to assist them to protect and rescue

3053-992: The last two decades. These activities endanger Natural World Heritage Sites and could compromise their unique values. Of the Natural World Heritage Sites that contain forest, 91% experienced some loss since 2000. Many of them are more threatened than previously thought and require immediate conservation action. The destruction of cultural assets and identity-establishing sites is one of the primary goals of modern asymmetrical warfare. Terrorists, rebels, and mercenary armies deliberately smash archaeological sites, sacred and secular monuments and loot libraries, archives and museums. The UN, United Nations peacekeeping and UNESCO in cooperation with Blue Shield International are active in preventing such acts. "No strike lists" are also created to protect cultural assets from air strikes. The founding president of Blue Shield International Karl von Habsburg summed it up with

3124-517: The list." According to environmental protection groups, this "decision was a victory for cynical lobbying and [...] Australia, as custodians of the world's biggest coral reef, was now on probation." Several listed locations, such as Casco Viejo in Panama and Hội An in Vietnam , have struggled to strike a balance between the economic benefits of catering to greatly increased visitor numbers after

3195-836: The local level which can result in the site being damaged. Rock art under world heritage protection at the Tadrart Acacus in Libya have occasionally been intentionally destroyed. Chalcraft links this destruction to Libyan national authorities prioritizing World Heritage status over local sensibilities by limiting access to the sites without consulting with the local population. UNESCO has also been criticized for alleged geographic bias, racism , and colourism in world heritage inscription. A major chunk of all world heritage inscriptions are located in regions whose populations generally have lighter skin, including Europe, East Asia, and North America. The World Heritage Committee has divided

3266-730: The natural environment, these can be recognised as "cultural landscapes". A country must first identify its significant cultural and natural sites in a document known as the Tentative List. Next, it can place sites selected from that list into a Nomination File, which is evaluated by the International Council on Monuments and Sites and the World Conservation Union . A country may not nominate sites that have not been first included on its Tentative List. The two international bodies make recommendations to

3337-450: The northern end of Lake Menéndez . The largest known alerce tree in Argentina is located there. It is 57 metres (187 ft) tall, 2.2 metres (7.2 ft) in diameter, and 2,600 years old. Regular tours visit the forest. Taller and larger alerce trees are believed to exist on the southwestern arm of Lake Menéndez, but access to that area is restricted. The virgin alerce forests in the park cover an area of 7,407 hectares (18,300 acres) on

3408-508: The park range from cold to moderate. Freezes can occur in any month of the year. At the park headquarters at one of the lowest elevations in the park, the warmest month is January with average daily maximum and minimum temperatures of 24° celsius (75° fahrenheit) and 8° celsius (46° fahrenheit). The average temperatures in July, the coldest month, are 7° (45° fahrenheit) high and -1° (30° fahrenheit) low. Temperatures decline with increasing elevation. Average temperatures decline with altitude. In

3479-648: The park. Lake Rivadavia is the beginning of the chain. The outflow from Lake Rivadavia is called the Rivadavia River which flows into the much smaller Green Lake. The outlet from Green Lake is called the Arrayanes River, which after receiving the outflow from Lake Menéndez continues on to Futalaufquen Lake . Below Futalaufquen Lake is Kruger Lake and the Frey River which flows into Amutui Quimey Reservoir , an artificial lake. The river known as

3550-562: The protected area's size by 90%. The Dresden Elbe Valley was first placed on the danger list in 2006 when the World Heritage Committee decided that plans to construct the Waldschlösschen Bridge would significantly alter the valley's landscape. In response, the Dresden City Council attempted to stop the bridge's construction. However, after several court decisions allowed the building of the bridge to proceed,

3621-511: The pulp and paper industry. The native trees that are cleared to make way for these monocultures are often exported as woodchips to Japan. A start at conservation was made in November 2003 when a consortium of conservation groups, both local and international, bought at auction of a bankrupt logging firm 147,500 acres (600 km ) of biologically rich rainforest in the Valdivian Coastal Range. Gianni Lopez, Executive Director of CONAMA , Chile's national environmental agency remarked, "Ten years ago

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3692-467: The recognition and preserving the original culture and local communities. Another criticism is that there is a homogeneity to these sites, which contain similar styles, visitor centres , etc., meaning that a lot of the individuality of these sites has been removed to become more attractive to tourists. Anthropologist Jasper Chalcraft said that World Heritage recognition often ignores contemporary local usage of certain sites. This leads to conflicts on

3763-488: The region features many glacier-carved fjords . To the north, the Valdivian forests give way to the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub of the Chilean Matorral ecoregion. A few coastal enclaves of Valdivian forest grow in north-central Chile (such as Bosque de Fray Jorge National Park ) as remains of the last glacial maximum . To the south lies the Magellanic subpolar forests ecoregion. The temperate Valdivian, matorral, and Magellanic ecoregions are isolated from

3834-409: The second largest in the world, after the Pacific temperate rain forests of North America (which stretches from Alaska to northern California). The Valdivian forests are a refuge for the Antarctic flora , and share many plant families with the temperate rainforests of New Zealand , Tasmania , and Australia . Fully half the species of woody plants are endemic to this ecoregion. Chusquea quila

3905-692: The southern hemisphere winter months of July through August. A hydroelectric dam, providing energy to industry in Puerto Madryn , has created the large Amutui Quimey Reservoir , which empties into the Futaleufú River which flows on to Chile. There is good walking and fishing in the park, and boat trips on the lakes. The Torrecillas glacier can be seen from tour boats on Lake Menéndez. World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural heritage around

3976-423: The species from nearby South American ecosystems that adapted to the temperate rainforest. During the Llanquihue glaciation much of the area west of Llanquihue Lake remained ice-free during the Last Glacial Maximum and had sparsely distributed vegetation dominated by Nothofagus species. Valdivian temperate rain forest proper was reduced to scattered remnants in to the west of the Andes. More specifically

4047-408: The subtropical/tropical forests that dominate northern South America by such landscapes as the Atacama desert (north of the matorral), the Andes Mountains, and the dry, rain-shadow Patagonian steppe east of the Andes. As a result, the temperate forest regions have evolved in relative isolation, with a high degree of endemic species. Due to a similar location geographically and geologically (along

4118-416: The ten criteria. A country may request to extend or reduce the boundaries, modify the official name, or change the selection criteria of one of its already listed sites. Any proposal for a significant boundary change or to modify the site's selection criteria must be submitted as if it were a new nomination, including first placing it on the Tentative List and then onto the Nomination File. A request for

4189-405: The threats and to encourage counteractive measures. Threats to a site can be either proven imminent threats or potential dangers that could have adverse effects on a site. The state of conservation for each site on the danger list is reviewed yearly; after this, the Committee may request additional measures, delete the property from the list if the threats have ceased or consider deletion from both

4260-508: The three sides of the park which do not border on Chile. Los Alerces National Park is shaped like a rough rectangle, extending approximately 65 kilometres (40 mi) north to south along the border with Chile and 45 kilometres (28 mi) east to west. All of Los Alerces National Park is in the drainage basin of the Futaleufú River , although the river is called by several different names during its course in Argentina. A chain of lakes separated by short courses of turbulent river characterize

4331-574: The treeline, the conifers give way to Andean scrublands of deciduous Nothofagus antarctica . Northern Patagonian forests . The fourth and last type is the Northern Patagonian forests, which dominate the southern half of the ecoregion, with evergreen species such as the broadleaf Nothofagus dombeyi , Nothofagus betuloides and Drimys winteri and the coniferous podocarps , including Podocarpus nubigenus . Distribution of plants follow Rapoport's rule with plant species distribution increasing at higher latitudes and decreasing at those closer to

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4402-475: The two arms of Lake Menéndez and the upper part of Amutui Quimey Reservoir , and along the streams feeding into those lakes. Los Alerces National Park consists of two parts: the formally declared national park of 187,379 hectares (723.47 sq mi) and the adjoining Los Alerces National Reserve of 71,443 hectares (275.84 sq mi). Almost all the development in the park is in the national reserve. A buffer area 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) wide surrounds

4473-558: The valley was removed from the World Heritage List in 2009. Liverpool 's World Heritage status was revoked in July 2021, following developments ( Liverpool Waters and Bramley-Moore Dock Stadium ) on the northern docks of the World Heritage site leading to the "irreversible loss of attributes" on the site. The first global assessment to quantitatively measure threats to Natural World Heritage Sites found that 63% of sites have been damaged by increasing human pressures including encroaching roads, agriculture infrastructure and settlements over

4544-406: The west of the park, there is high rainfall and Valdivian temperate rain forests below the higher elevations of the Andes. Much of the rest of the park is Patagonian forest similar to the Lanín and Nahuel Huapi National Parks , with coihues and lenga . Arrayán ( Luma apiculata ) trees can be seen along the Arrayanes river. Although there is no true dry season, precipitation is heaviest in

4615-436: The words: "Without the local community and without the local participants, that would be completely impossible". The UNESCO-administered project has attracted criticism. This was caused by perceived under-representation of heritage sites outside Europe, disputed decisions on site selection and adverse impact of mass tourism on sites unable to manage rapid growth in visitor numbers. A large lobbying industry has grown around

4686-526: The work of the World Heritage Committee was developed over a seven-year period (1965–1972). The United States initiated the idea of safeguarding places of high cultural or natural importance. A White House conference in 1965 called for a "World Heritage Trust" to preserve "the world's superb natural and scenic areas and historic sites for the present and the future of the entire world citizenry". The International Union for Conservation of Nature developed similar proposals in 1968, which were presented in 1972 at

4757-599: The world considered to be of outstanding value to humanity". To be selected, a World Heritage Site is nominated by its host country and determined by the UNESCO's World Heritage Committee to be a unique landmark which is geographically and historically identifiable, having a special cultural or physical significance, and to be under a sufficient system of legal protection. For example, World Heritage Sites might be ancient ruins or historical structures, buildings, cities, deserts, forests, islands, lakes, monuments, mountains or wilderness areas. A World Heritage Site may signify

4828-459: The world into five geographic regions: Africa, Arab states, Asia and the Pacific, Europe and North America, and Latin America and the Caribbean. Russia and the Caucasus states are classified as European, while Mexico and the Caribbean are classified as belonging to the Latin America and the Caribbean region. The UNESCO geographic regions also give greater emphasis on administrative, rather than geographic associations. Hence, Gough Island , located in

4899-404: The world; some in Chile are 3,600 years old. The alerce grows very slowly and belongs to the family Cupressaceae (cypresses). The alerce is restricted to a small range in Chile and Argentina and the species is endangered due to exploitation of the tree for lumber. The best-known alerce forest in the park, reachable by boat and often visited by tourists, is at a boat dock called Puerto Sagrario at

4970-449: Was collected from 50 countries. The project's success led to other safeguarding campaigns, such as saving Venice and its lagoon in Italy, the ruins of Mohenjo-daro in Pakistan, and the Borobodur Temple Compounds in Indonesia. Together with the International Council on Monuments and Sites , UNESCO then initiated a draft convention to protect cultural heritage. The convention (the signed document of international agreement ) guiding

5041-523: Was considered a success. To thank countries which especially contributed to the campaign's success, Egypt donated four temples; the Temple of Dendur was moved to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City , the Temple of Debod to the Parque del Oeste in Madrid , the Temple of Taffeh to the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden in Leiden , and the Temple of Ellesyia to Museo Egizio in Turin . The project cost US$ 80 million (equivalent to $ 295.83 million in 2023), about $ 40 million of which

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