Sangha Trinational In Central African Republic

Sangha Trinational

Short Report

Located in the north-western Congo Bassin, where Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, the site consists of three successive national parks amounting to approximately 750,000 ha. Much of the site is affected by human activities and features a wide range of moist tropical forests with rich flora and fauna, including Nile crocodiles and goliath tigerfish, a large carnivores. Forest thinning support herbaceous species and Sangha is the home of large populations of forest elephants endangered western lowland gorillas, and endangered chimpanzee. The site environment has preserved the continuation of the ecological and evolutionary processes on a massive scale and large biodiversity, including many endangered species.

Wonderful Universal Importance

Sangha Trinational (TNS) is a cross-border protected complex in the North-west of the Congo Basin where Cameroon, the Central African Republic and the Republic of the Congo. TNS includes three successive national parks in total a legally defined area of 746,309 hectares. These are Lobéké National Park in Cameroon, Dzanga-Ndoki National Park in the Central African Republic and Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park in the Republic of the Congo. Dzanga-Ndoki National Park consists of two separate units. The parks are embedded in a much larger forest landscape, sometimes referred to as the TNS Landscape. A buffer zone of 1,787,950 hectares is located in recognition of the importance of the wider landscape and its inhabitants on the future of the property. The buffer zone inlcudes Dzanga-Sanga Forest Reserve in the Central African Republic, which provides the connection between the two units of Dzanga-Ndoki National Park.

Natural values and features include the permanent ecological and evolutionary processes in a predominantly intact forest landscape on a very large scale. Numerous and diverse habitats, including tropical forests consists of deciduous and evergreen species, a large diversity of wetlands, including swamp forests and periodically flooded forests and many types of forest thinning of large conservation continue to be connected to a landscape level. This mosaic of ecosystems ports viable populations of complete faunal and floral assemblages, including top predators and rare and endangered species, such as forest elephants, Gorillas, chimpanzees, and various antelope species, such as the East African Sitatunga'Es the characteristic Bongo.

The property is characterized by its large size, further supported by the very large buffer zone, minimum disruption for long periods and intactness and the continuation of the ecological and evolutionary processes on a large scale. This includes the continuous presence of viable populations and natural densities of wild game, including top predators and large mammals that are often affected by hunting and poaching elsewhere. There is a fully connected mosaic of very different habitats, such as different types of environmentally significant thinning of the forests attract large wildlife aggregation and countless species otherwise not found in the forest. Unlike many other forest protected areas, the property is not a remaining fragment but continues to be part of a much larger intact and landscape with good conservation perspective. This is becoming increasingly rare and important at the global level.

The property provides a wide spectrum of the species-rich humid tropical forests in Central Africa the Congo Basin and provides for the protection of a number of endangered species. The flora is enriched by species only in the many types of thinning of the forests. TNS protects a large number of tree species which strongly commercially exploited elsewhere, such as the endangered Mukulungu. Next To viable populations of forest elephants, important populations of the severely endangered Western lowland gorillas and the endangered chimpanzee is in and around the property, together with several endangered antelope species, such as the East African Sitatunga'Es the characteristic Bongo.

The boundries of the property coincide with the boundaries of three existing national parks to form a large and interconnected nature reserve in the heart of the wider TNS Landscape. The entire property is surrounded by a large buffer zone in all three countries which meet the complex ecological relationships between the property and the environment. This approach is an umbrella for regional planning and the integration of the legitimate livelihoods needs of local and indigenous communities with nature conservation within the broader TNS landscape. Logging and hunting is prohibited in the national parks. In addition to the remoteness of TNS adds a layer of protection against exploitation of natural resources. It is essential to ensure that the future activities in the buffer zones, such as forest and wildlife management, tourism, agriculture and infrastructure are fully compatible with the conservation objectives for TNS, so that the landscape will meet the needs of local and indigenous communities although it acts as a 'buffer' to the property.

Protection and management requirements

There are strong and dedicated joint management of the property which all three States which are party, an essential permanent requirement. The three national parks which are part of the property have all management and administrative staff by governments and, if necessary, be supplemented by international support of non-governmental organizations, as well as multilateral and bilateral agencies. Management, police, research, monitoring and tourism all require coordination of the national borders. There is a Trinational Control and Action Committee (Committee Trinational the Paragraph et d'Action), pooling of the three countries at ministerial level. A Trinational Monitoring Committee unites the three countries at the level of the regional authorities. These mechanisms are effective in providing a joint protection and management of the property, and will have to be taken.

The rights and the traditional livelihoods of local and indigenous peoples, such as the BaAkas, is a fundamental and still more recognized element in the management of the property. Whereas Lobéké National Park (Cameroon) use areas in the park, in the Central African Republic and the Republic of Congo, local use of resources, including the native hunters and collectors, is not allowed in the protected areas which the local livelihoods and creating the potential for conflict. This illustrates the importance of an overall balance between nature conservation and local use of natural resources in the wider environment. The very extensive buffer zone is a chance to better understand and integrate the living need but also of the knowledge of local and indigenous communities under the umbrella of a live TNS landscape. The inscription on the World Heritage List offers a practical possibility for the States which are Party to translate a range of different obligations of the parties in respect of the rights of local and indigenous people in action on the ground.

The maintenance of the ecological values of the property will depend not just on enforcement of the law but in the end both the standards of commercial resource extraction in the buffer zone and the acceptance and support of parks by local and indigenous communities in the surrounding landscape.

Source:whc/unesco

Manovo-Gounda St Floris National Park In Central African Republic

Manovo-Gounda St Floris National Park

Short Report

The importance of this park is derived from the wealth of flora and fauna. The vast savannahs are home to a large variety of different types: black rhinoceroses, elephants, cheetahs, leopards, wild dogs, red facade gazelles and buffalo, while different species of waterfowl are to be found in the northern floodplains.

Wonderful Universal Importance

With a surface area of 1,740,000 ha, Manovo-Gounda St. Floris is the largest park in the Central African savannah. Spread across the two ecological zones, Manovo-Gounda St. Floris National Park owes its importance to its rich flora and fauna. It is the home of many endangered species, such as the black rhino, elephant, hippopotamus and red facade gazelle-as well as large concentrations of herbivores. This Park is an interesting example of a 'crossroads', where the type of savanna communities of East and West Africa, as well as those of the forest communities in the South, cross paths. The Park is an important area for the study of ecological changes in the Sahel and Sudan under pressure of drought and overgrazing.

The Manovo Gounda St Floris National Park contains exceptional natural formations. The Park borders on Sudano-Sahelian and Sudano-Guinean biogeographical zones. This results in a variety of habitats from grasslands in the north to savannas with gallery forests in the south. The property includes the entire watershed of three major rivers (Manovo Gounda, Koumbala and) with green meadows and wetlands. The plains are dotted with small granitary inselbergs in the south with the rugged sandstone massif of the Bongo'S ,. This expansive Park, surrounded by hunting areas and with a functional corridor to the National Park of Bamingui-Bangoran , protects the largest steppes of Central Africa. It is a unique example of this type of ecosystem, the home of viable populations of different types of typical of this part of Africa and others from East and West Africa.

The Park nature reflects his temporary position between East and West Africa, the Sahel and the rainforests. The contains the richest flora of the country, including about 57 species of mammals that are well protected in the past. In this respect, on the rich savannas of Africa. Some of the important large mammals in terms of conservation live in the Park, such as black rhino, elephant, hippopotamus, red facade gazelle- (here in the southern boundary of the range), lion, leopard, cheetah and wild dogs. There are large concentrations of herbivores, including buffalo, Buffon the kob top-up, waterbuck, and red hartebeest. Approximately 320 species of birds have been recorded in the Park, of which at least 25 species of raptors. Flood Plains in the north of the Park are especially suitable for water birds, and the shoebill is observed in the Park.

With a total area of 1,740,000 hectares, the Park is almost completely surrounded by the game reserves of Ouandija-Vakaga and Aouk-Aoukalé (480,000 ha and 330,000 ha respectively), that an effective protection against threats to the property of the surrounding areas. Other hunting areas and reserves are also connected to the building, resulting in a contiguous area of about 80,000 km2 of protected areas. The property is large enough to allow for a kind of viability. Nevertheless, the integrity of the Park is a cause for concern as a result of the many threats, poaching in particular (in particular of rhino, elephant and giraffe) and grazing. The lack of protection and management of land measures was also pointed out at the time of the incorporation of the property.

Wide Report

The area covers most of the eastern end of Bamingui-Bangoran Province in the north of the country, on the international border with Chad. The limits on three sides of the park is formed by the international border, the eastern and southern borders of the province, while the western boundary is marked in particular by the Manovo River. The park consists of three parts: the floodplain of the Bahr Aouk and Bahr Kameur rivers in the north, in the Massif des Bongo in the south, and a hilly plain transitional period between. The low-lying areas, which are season flooded, enjoy a delicious, deep, alluvial soils, although drainage in these areas can be very bad. This provides a flat plain with grove, usually ferrous and well-drained soil, in which some areas, in particular the depressions, developed or lateritic ironstone mines shield, which woody vegetation is remarkably thin or absent. The massif, which is separated from the plain of the llangattock escarpment, is mainly consists of sandstone and is extremely dissected his subjects into. Five major rivers walk down from the massif central through the park to the Bahr Aouk and Bahr Kameur. These are the Vakaga, Goro, and Manovo Gounda, Koumbala. However, the power can be interrupted at the end of the dry season, and can, in fact, only in the Bahr Aouk and Bahr Kameur during the wettest months.

The dominant vegetation type during a large part of the park is wooded Sudanese-Guinean savannah which can be divided into five categories: Terminalia laxiflora wooded savannah; Isoberlinia darkroom and Monotes kerstingii forests; Pseudocedrela kotschyi and Terminalia macroptera forests; mixed lowland forests and wooded savannah and Anogeissus leiocarpus and Khaya senegalensis. The lowland areas are subject to both floods and fire, and this is reflected in the vegetation. Further to the south, the higher ground is covered by bamboo open savannas and forests linked to the hilly area of the river sources.

Different types of particular conservation problem occur within the park: black rhino, elephant, leopard, cheetah and wild dogs, shoebill and crocodiles. Unfortunately, poaching still has an important influence on rhino and elephant numbers, and has in the past both leopard and crocodile. Red facade gazelle-is also to be found in the park at the southern limit.

In the St Floris region, the most abundant large mammal seems kob top-up, with nine other relatively many ungulates such as the diver, waterbuck, hartebeest, oribi, topi, reedbuck, buffalo and Warthog mask. Other notable or remarkable large mammals are hippopotamus, roan antelope, lion, giraffe and giant eland. Less common animals are golden cat, red and yellow covered flanked diver diver. Approximately 320 species of birds have been identified, with at least 25 species of raptor including bataleur and African fish eagle. There are large seasonal populations of pelican and marabou stork and the park can be quite important for both waterfowl and shorebirds.

Historical Data

The national Manovo-Gounda St. -Floris was on May 17, 1979 with a total area of 1,740,00Oha, including the previously designated St Floris National Park and the former Safarafric hunting/tourism concession. A part of the area was designated for the first time as Oubangui-Chari National Park (13, SOOha) on December 10, 1933 and amended Matoumara National Park in 1935. The area was later revised to July 27, 1940 as St Floris National Park with an area of 40.00Oha, extended to 100,700ha in 1960, and again to 277,600ha in 1974. The area previously designated St Floris National Park forms the northern region of the current park. Registered on the world heritage list in 1988.

Source:whc/unesco

Lakes of Ounianga In Chad

Lakes of Ounianga - Chad

Short Report

The site contains eighteen contiguous lakes in the hyper arid Ennedi region of the Sahara desert covers an area of 62,808 ha. It is an exceptional natural landscape of great beauty with striking colors and shapes. The saline, hyper saline and freshwater lakes are fed by groundwater and are to be found in two groups 40 km from each other. Ounianga muslim el Kebir includes four lakes, the largest of which, Yoan, covers an area of 358 ha and is 27 m deep. The very salty waters can only maintain algae and certain micro-organisms. The second group, Ounianga Serir, consists of fourteen lakes separated by sand dunes. Floating reeds cover almost half of the surface of these lakes less evaporation. 436 Ha, More Teli has the greatest surface area but is less than 10 m deep. With their high quality freshwater, some of these lakes are home to aquatic fauna, in particular fish.

Wonderful Universal Importance

Located in the north-east -Chad, in a warm and hyperarid desert setting with less than 2mm precipitation per year, the Lakes of Ounianga consists of a total of 18 lakes, in two groups, in which a large number of different sizes, depths, v} }r and chemical compositions. The property covers 62,808 hectares and has a 4,869 ha buffer zone. The Lakes of Ounianga accommodation is located in a sink that is less than 10,000 years ago, was occupied by a much larger lake and has a globally unique hydrological system, preserving the largest permanent freshwater lakes in the heart of a hyperarid environment.

The complex also includes a number of striking appearance, with varied coloration associated with the various lakes and their vegetation and the presence of dramatic natural desert landforms that all contribute to the outstanding natural beauty of the landscape of the property. The form and the distribution of the lakes, combined with the effect of the wind moves the floating vegetation in the lakes, gives the impression of 'waves of ingress of water in the desert'.

The property is an exceptional example of permanent lakes in a desert setting, a remarkable natural phenomenon resulting from an aquifer and its complex hydrological system is still not completely understood. The aesthetic beauty of the own results from a landscape mosaic includes the varied colored lakes with their blue, green and /or reddish water, depending on their chemical composition, surrounded by palm trees, dunes and spectacular sandstone landforms, all this in the heart of the desert stretches for thousands of kilometers. In addition, approximately one-third of the surface of the Ounianga Serir Lakes is covered with floating reed carpets that intense green color contrasts with the blue open water. Rock exposures which dominate the site offer a breathtaking view of the lakes, with the color contrast with the brown dunes separated by rocks structures. The form and the distribution of the lakes, combined with the effect of the wind moves the floating vegetation in the lakes, gives the impression of 'waves of ingress of water in the desert'.

The boundries of the 62,808 ha property are designed to ensure that the integrity. The property includes the area is lower than the 450 m contour line within the immediate more turning point. The 4,869 ha buffer zone includes the village of Ounianga muslim el Kebir alongside More Yoan. Zoning for the management of the site will take into account the pressure that now focus on more Yoan. Ounianga Serir, the smallest village (population of c. 1,000 In 2012) is in addition to the more Teli, inside the property. The hydrological system of the Lakes of Ounianga works and the water level is stable apart from a slight seasonal variation, thanks to a groundwater supply that compensates for evaporation losses.

The beauty and aesthetic values of the property are well preserved. Although there are a good number of people around lakes Yoan and Teli, local initiatives are the guaranteed compatibility between human activities and the maintenance of the site. Planned activities in the context of the management plan strengthen and complement to these initiatives. In addition to the recently adopted Decree No 095 which is aimed at preserving the traditional farming practices in the building in place of intensive agriculture provides for a strengthening of the preservation of the property.

Source:whc/unesco

Srebarna Nature Reserve In Bulgaria

Srebarna Nature Reserve - Bulgaria

Short Report

The Srebarna Nature Reserve is a freshwater lake adjacent to the Danube River and stretches over 600 ha. It is the breeding ground of almost 100 species of birds, many of which are rare or threatened. Approximately 80 other birds migrate search each winter. The most interesting birds are the Dalmatian pelican, large heron, night heron, purple heron, glossy ibis and white spoonbill colony.

Wonderful Universal Importance

Srebarna Nature Reserve protects a lake and wetland ecosystem of 638 hectares located near the village of Srebarna on the western shore of the Danube. The reserve includes the lake and the former agricultural land north of the lake, a belt of forest plantations along the Danube, the island and the aquatic environment Komluka closed between the island and the riverside. Srebarna Nature Reserve is a wetland in the Western Palaearctic migratory bird flyway. The nesting grounds for 99 species of birds and seasonal habitat to approximately 80 species of migratory birds. The house is surrounded by hills which provide a natural boundary and offer an ideal means for observing the waterfowl.

The rich bird life supported by Srebarna Nature Reserve is the basis for the international significance. The property held populations of birds which are considered as critical types of survival. The provides the only colony of Dalmatian Pelican Bulgaria, as well as the largest breeding populations of four more globally endangered species: Pygmy cormorant, ferruginous duck, White-tailed catfish Eagle and Corncrake. Srebarna is also of European value interest support Small bittern Night Heron, Squacco Heron, Small Little Egret, Great White Heron, Purple Heron, Glossy lbis had, its spoonbill colony and like ruddy Shelduck. Three types of sterns also occur. Globally threatened Pygmy cormorant and Rode-Goose winter in the Reserve, and the wintering populations of white-fronted goose, graylag goose and Fieldfare are also remarkable. In total the property provides critical habitat that supports 173 bird species, 78 species of European conservation and nine is listed as globally threatened.

Integrity

The property has the largest lake left after removal of the marshy area along the Danube and was connected to the river to a dyke was built in 1949. The current situation is therefore not completely natural and is maintained by water management measures. In 1994, a channel was built between the lake and the river Danube with a view to the annual flow of Danube River waters in the lake during the spring. The Reserve is a strictly protected area, and only carefully controlled scientific research, conservation and management activities may be carried out. The location is relatively small, and only if other areas are also protected, in the region and the bird migration routes, the major species of Srebarna Nature Reserve are expected to survive. The property is protected by a 673 ha buffer zone was established in 2008. This consists of a part of the Srebarna Nature Reserve that is not part of the World Heritage property and 419 ha grounds around the Srebarna Nature Reserve, which is located in an adjacent protected area known as Pelikanite. The purpose of this buffer zone will prevent and reduce negative effects for the man on the reserve.

Wide Report

The Srebarna Nature Reserve is a freshwater lake adjacent to the Danube River and stretches over 600 ha. It is the breeding ground of almost 100 species of birds, many of which are rare or threatened. Approximately 80 other birds migrate search each winter. The most interesting bird species are the Dalmatian pelican, large heron, night heron, purple heron, glossy ibis and white spoonbill colony, white-tailed catfish eagle, little cormorant. The reserve is first of all the protection of the rich variety of wild birds, the birds only half of the Bulgarian avifauna. Types include Srebarna mute swan, a variety of geese and ducks, red neck least grebe, two of the three European species of marsh words and bearded tit. Otter is sometimes in the reserve. White-fronted goose, red-goose and blue throats became known as wintering species.

Some 67 plant species can be found in Srebarna Nature Reserve, including water lilies and a number of rare marsh plants. Reeds occupy two thirds of the reserve and the form a thick barrier around the lake. They reed-mace islands which birds use of nesting. This freshwater lake is located on the flood plains of the river Danube, to which it was connected to 1949. The notching annual floods and the level of the bearing is 1 m per year. However, the lake was connected to the Danube canal in 1978 to prevent water level too low and to restore the more population.

The reserve is affected by a rapid and abnormal development of successive processes as a result of annual deposits of large reed-mace vegetation in the reserve, as well as the inadequate water influence of the Danube. The reed-mace islands are extended and thicker so that wild boar, foxes and jackals now pose a threat to both individual birds' nests and colonies. A series of front interference, including the iron gate Dam, constantly changed the natural hydrology of the Danube river in this region and that of Srebarna.

Historical Data

The area has been declared as wildfowl refuge in 1942 and established as a nature reserve by the Ministry of Agriculture and food at September 20, 1948, Decree no 2-11-931. It was accepted as a World Heritage site on March 7, 1974, if a Ramsar site on September 24, 1975 and as a reserve in january 1977.

Source:whc/unesco

Pirin National Park In Bulgaria

Pirin National Park - Bulgaria

Short Report

Spread over an area of over 27,000 ha, at an altitude between 1008 and 2914 m in the Pirin mountains, southwest Bulgaria, the site consists of several limestone mountain landscape with glacial lakes, waterfalls, caves and predominantly coniferous forests. It was added to the Unesco World Heritage Site in 1983. The extension now has an area of approximately 40,000 ha in the Pirin mountains and overlaps the Pirin National Park, except for two areas developed for tourism (skiing). The largest part of the enlargement is high mountain territory over 2000m in height, and usually by alpine meadows, rocky the screes and waves.

Wonderful Universal Importance

The World Heritage property occupies an area of approximately 40,000 ha in the Pirin mountains, southwest Bulgaria and overlaps with the undeveloped areas of Pirin National Park. The several limestone mountain landscape of the property include more than 70 glacial lakes and a range of glacial landforms, with many waterfalls, rocky the screes and caves. Forests are dominated by conifers and the higher areas harbor alpine meadows under the waves. The house has a large number of endemic species that are representative of the Balkans forms part pleistocene era flora.

The mountain scenery of the Pirin National Park is of exceptional beauty. The high mountain peaks and rocks contrast with meadows, rivers and waterfalls, and the ability to explore with the design of a Balkan mountain landscape. The ability to remote and naturalness is an important feature of the outstanding Universal Value of the property. The main geosciences values of the property are related to the glacial geomorphology, demonstrated by a range of features, including cirques, deep valleys and over 70 glacial lakes. The mountains of the property shows a wide variety of forms and are developed in different types of rock. Well-functioning natural processes can for the study of the continued evolution of the landforms of the property, and help to understand other mountain regions in the region.

The property is a good example of the continued evolution of flora, as is clear from a number of endemic species, and the property also protects an example of a properly functioning ecosystem that is representative of the main natural ecosystems of the Balkans uplands. Pirin natural coniferous forests are Macedonian pine trees and Bosnian Pine, with many old trees grow. In total, there are 1,315 species of vascular plants, approximately one third of the Bulgarian flora, including 86 Balkans endemics, 17 Bulgarian endemics and 18 local endemics. The fauna of the Pirin National Park comprises 45 mammalian species, including brown bear, wolf and pine marten and 159 bird species. Pirin is also the home of eight species of amphibians, eleven types of reptiles and six species. Although the forests are affected by some historical use, the natural functioning of the ecosystem ensures the protection of the regional biodiversity important values.

Integrity

The original inscription of the property in 1983 proved to be inadequate in the representation of and for the maintenance of the exceptional Universal Value of the Pirin, But an extension in 2010, the problems in the best possible and represents the minimum area of the Pirin National Park which can be considered to meet the requirements of outstanding universal value included in the World Heritage Convention. The National Park is clearly defined from the point of view of its mountainous nature and ecology, and the limits of the area are large enough for the capture of the natural values of the Pirin Mountain. Sufficient limits are set by the enlargement of the goods originally declared, including the outermost regions of the inside of the National Park, and from neighboring areas that are not compatible with the World Heritage status because effects on integrity of ski-development. The values of the property as extended retain the characteristics of a natural landscape, but they closely reflect areas intensive tourism development which a risk to the integrity of the property.

Wide Report

Extends over an area of 27,400 ha and lying on a height of 1,008-2,914 m in the Pirin mountains, south-west Bulgaria Pirin National Park is a limestone Balkans landscape of lakes, waterfalls, caves and pine forests. The rugged mountains, with 70 glacial lakes spread, hundreds of endemic and rare species, many of which are representative of the Balkans forms part pleistocene era flora. The mountains also have various and unique landscapes of great aesthetic value. Pirin mountains stretches from the north-west to the south-east between the valleys of the Strouma Mesta and rivers. There are many rivers and waterfalls. Winter in the upper part is cold and long snow-covered remaining five to eight months. Summer is cool and short.

The presence of limestone rocks, the southern location of the range and the proximity of the Aegean Sea, in combination with its relative isolation, Pirin Mountain an important retreat for many species. In the park are mainly coniferous forests with endemic Macedonian pine wide and which form part of the timberline in the granite of the mountain. Endemic Bossnian pine occurs in the highest zone of the karst. Unique condition of Pinus peuce and Pinus leucodermis. , TO 250 - 300 years old and 30-45 m high, are to be found in Baiouvi Doupki-Djindjiritsa Reserve. Some individual Pinus leucodermis. Trees are more than 500 years old. Silver Fir Wood, Austrian pine, spruce, Scots pine and beech form a mixed coniferous forest type.

Generally, the timberline has developed as a result of human intervention for a long period and drops as low as 2000 m, but in some places reached 2200 -2,300 m. In the subalpine zone there are shrubs of dwarf mountain pine and Juniperus sibirica in . Above 2400 -2,600 m is a layer of alpine meadows, stony slopes, the screes, rocks, etc. The flora of the Pirin, consisting of the many rare species, is of great importance and beauty. One of the most active flora speciation will be further developed in Bulgaria is located in the limestone part of the mountain. Pirin offers a mix of eastern european, Alpine, Stara Planina mountain range and sub-species in the Mediterranean, but there are also 30 local endemic species.

There is a large variety of animal species, including many endemic species and glacial relicts under the invertebrate fauna. Endangered birds and mammals are brown bear, gray wolf, pine marten, rock marten, polecat, badger, otter, wild cat, red deer, roe deer, wild boar, Balkan chamois, golden eagle, wood grouse, hazel grouse, golden eagle, black woodpecker and three puppets woodpecker.

Historical Data

In 1963 Vikhren National Park (6,212ha) was established in the northern part of the Pirin mountains in Decree No 3074 of November 6, 1962 of the Committee of Forestry and forest management. In 1976 it was supplemented 27, OOOha and renamed the Pirin National Park (Decree No 1036 of March 3, 1976 of the Ministry of Forestry). Pirin NP was extended to 40,060ha in 1987 (Decree No 1036 of 17 November, the Committee of environmental protection in the Council of Ministers. Baevi Doubki Nature Reserve was established in 1934, extended in 1976 and renamed Baevi Doupki - Dzindzeritza (2,873ha) in 1979. He was declared a biosphere reserve in 1977.

Sourct:whc/unesco

Sangha Trinational In Cameroon

Sangha Trinational In Cameroon

Short Report

Located in the north-western Congo Bassin, where Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, the site consists of three successive national parks amounting to approximately 750,000 ha. Much of the site is affected by human activities and features a wide range of moist tropical forests with rich flora and fauna, including Nile crocodiles and goliath tigerfish, a large carnivores. Forest thinning support herbaceous species and Sangha is the home of large populations of forest elephants endangered western lowland gorillas, and endangered chimpanzee. The site environment has preserved the continuation of the ecological and evolutionary processes on a massive scale and large biodiversity, including many endangered species.

Wonderful Universal Importance

Sangha Trinational (TNS) is a cross-border protected complex in the North-west of the Congo Basin where Cameroon, the Central African Republic and the Republic of the Congo. TNS includes three successive national parks in total a legally defined area of 746,309 hectares. These are Lobéké National Park in Cameroon, Dzanga-Ndoki National Park in the Central African Republic and Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park in the Republic of the Congo. Dzanga-Ndoki National Park consists of two separate units. The parks are embedded in a much larger forest landscape, sometimes referred to as the TNS Landscape. A buffer zone of 1,787,950 hectares is located in recognition of the importance of the wider landscape and its inhabitants on the future of the property. The buffer zone inlcudes Dzanga-Sanga Forest Reserve in the Central African Republic, which provides the connection between the two units of Dzanga-Ndoki National Park.

Natural values and features include the permanent ecological and evolutionary processes in a predominantly intact forest landscape on a very large scale. Numerous and diverse habitats, including tropical forests consists of deciduous and evergreen species, a large diversity of wetlands, including swamp forests and periodically flooded forests and many types of forest thinning of large conservation continue to be connected to a landscape level. This mosaic of ecosystems ports viable populations of complete faunal and floral assemblages, including top predators and rare and endangered species, such as forest elephants, Gorillas, chimpanzees, and various antelope species, such as the East African Sitatunga'Es the characteristic Bongo.

Source:whc/unesco

Dja Faunal Reserve In Cameroon

Dja Faunal Reserve In Cameroon

Short Report

This is one of the largest and most protected rainforest in Africa, with 90% of the area. Almost completely surrounded by the reserve Dja River, which forms a natural border, the reserve is especially known for its biodiversity and a large variety of monkeys. The contains 107 species of mammals, five of which are threatened.

Wonderful Universal Importance

Founded In 1950, the reserve Dja Faunal Reserve is an integral part of the dense rainforests that Congo Basin. This extensive range is one of the largest and most secure of the African rainforest: 90% of the area is not distorted. Almost completely surrounded by the reserve Dja River, which forms a natural border, the Reserve is especially known for its biodiversity and a large variety of monkeys. It covers an area estimated at approximately 526,000 ha, the Reserve is home to many animal and plant species, of which there are several globally threatened (western lowland gorilla, chimpanzee, forest elephant).

Wide Report

The site is located on the reserve Dja which almost completely surrounds the reserve, which is the natural border, except in the south-west. Except in the south east of the reserve, the exemption is fairly close and consists of a series of round-covered hills. AN important fortifications on the southern edge of the reserve, which is followed by the reserve Dja River, has led to the formation of what been cut deeper valleys on the south-eastern edge of the plateau. Cliffs along the river in the south 60 km, and are connected to a section of the river interrupted by rapids and waterfalls. Reserve Dja is located in the transition area between the forests of southern Nigeria, south-west Cameroon and the forests of the Congo Basin. It seems likely that the forests in the region are essentially undisturbed.

The vegetation mainly consists of dense evergreen Congo rainforest with a big awning on 30-40 m up to 60 m. The shrub layer contains more than 53 species. Forest is also rich in lianes. The herbaceous layer is mainly composed of Marantaceae and Mapania type. The Congolese rainforest is also characterized by almost pure form of Gilbertiodendron dewevrei forest. Other important vegetation types are swamp vegetation, and secondary forest around the old villages (which is abandoned in 1946) and recently abandoned cocoa and coffee plantations. Composition of the secondary forest is significantly different due to the relative scarcity of species of the Meliaceae .

Although the area poorly studied, which is known to have a wide range of primate species including western lowland gorillas, larger white-nosed guenon, moustached guenon, crowned guenon, talapoin, red-capped mangabey, white-cheeked mangabey, agile mangabey, drill, mandrill, potto, Demidorff the galago, Black and white colobus monkey and chimpanzee. Other mammals such as elephants, bongo, eastern-African sitatunga, buffalo, leopard, Warthog mask, giant forest hog and pangolin.

Birds are Bates the weaver, which is endemic in southern Cameroon, and gray neck picathartes probably also occurs in this reserve. The city of reserve Dja aquatic warbler River is located in the vicinity of the reserve, and there are few other records of this type. Reptiles are python, lizard and two types of crocodiles (both are endangered species). A population of pygmies lives within the reserve, in small sporadic manic, the preservation of an essentially traditional lifestyle.

Source:whc/unesco

Noel Kempff Mercado National Park Bolivia

Noel Kempff Mercado National Park - Bolivia 

Short Report

The National Park is one of the largest (1,523,000 ha) and most intact parks in the Amazon basin. With the altitudinal range of 200 m to almost 1000 m, this is the site of a rich mosaic of habitat types from Cerrado region savannah and forest to upland evergreen Amazonian forests. The park has an evolutionary history dating back more than a billion years in the Precambrian period. An estimated 4,000 species of flora and more than 600 bird species and viable populations of many globally endangered vertebrate animals live in the park.

Wide Report

The National Park is one of the largest (1,523,000 ha) and most intact parks in the Amazon basin. With an altitudinal range from 200 m to 1000 m, it contains a rich mosaic of habitat types from cerrado region savannah and forest to upland evergreen Amazonian forests. The park has an evolutionary history dating back more than a billion years in the Precambrian. Situated on the border of Brazil, the site contains a large part of the Huanchaca Plateau and surrounding lowlands. There are rugged cliffs in the north, west and south side of the plateau with several valleys and steep slopes in the eastern side. Several rivers have their sources on the plateau and spectacular waterfalls. The largest river in the area is the Iténez, marks the border with Brazil, to the north of the park and the river Paraguá dominates the lowlands in the west.

The north-eastern part of the Santa Cruz Department is part of a transition zone where Amazon intergrades with the dry forest and savannah habitats of the Cerrado region also appeared further realm. Habitat types of the region can be divided into five basic units that different ecosystems: upland evergreen forest; deciduous forests; upland Cerrado region savannah, savannah wetlands, forests and wetlands. The moist forests of the park are floristically distinct from the moist forests of western Amazon and the Andes region of piemonte. These forests are classified in different habitat types hardly studied. 

An evergreen forest with tall trees can be found on deep and well-drained soil, while a dwarf forest establishment located in a transition zone with the Cerrado region. A specific feature of the forest is the lianas, a low and very thick canopy. Although trees are also part of the canopy, the lianas teeming with so that they dominate. The Huanchaca Plateau has a rich Cerrado region flora and contains many species that have a distribution limited to central Brazil. The excellent habitat diversity of the park is favorable for the existence of a very diverse flora and the location is a major repository for many rare mammals of Bolivia. More than 80% of the mammals are found in moist forests. Good populations of tapir view wit hits, brocket deer and jaguar inhabit the upland moist forests. Long haired spider monkey has large population groups in the high evergreen forests, and black-tailed catfish silvery marmoset and monk are also present. The open grassland habitats in the southern part of the plateau are perhaps one of the largest populations of pampas deer. Two other large mammals, maned wolf and marsh deer are to be found in the seasonally flooded savannas live below the plateau.

Source:whc/unesco

Belovezhskaya Pushcha / Białowieża Forest Belarus

Belovezhskaya Pushcha / Białowieża Forest - Belarus

Short Report

Situated on the watershed of the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea, this immense forest range, consisting of evergreens and broad-leaved trees, is home to some remarkable animal life, including rare mammals such as the wolf, the lynx and the otter, as well as some 300 European Bison, a species which has been reintroduced into the park.

Wide Report

The Białowieża primeval forest is the last remaining primary deciduous and mixed forests of the European lowlands. Located at a turning point in the Baltic and the Black Sea, this huge forest composed evergreens and productive closed broadleaved forests trees is home to some remarkable flora and rare and interesting mammals. The park consists of about one-tenth of the entire Białowieża primeval forest, which has a wide range of flora and fauna characteristic of both Western and Eastern Europe. The park protects a part of the last and one of the largest remaining areas of European primeval forest lowland mixed forest: pine, beech, oak, elzen and pines. The forest dating from 8000 V. CHR and is the only remnant of the original forests that once covered much of Europe.

These wilderness areas are inhabited by European bison, a type in the park in 1929, elk, deer, roe deer, wild boar, lynx, wolf, fox, marten, badger, otter, ermine, beavers and many bats. It is also a reserve to see tarpan (Polish wild forest horse). The avifauna includes corncrake, white-tailed catfish eagle, stork, peregrine falcon and eagle owl.

Located in the transition between the boreal and temperate zone in the south-west White-russia , on the border with central Poland, the site contains elements of northern and southern flora. Almost 90% of the park is covered with old 'growth' virgin stands of mixed productive closed broadleaved forests and pine forests. More than 900 vascular plants species are listed, including 26 trees and shrubs 138 species. Almost two thirds are indigenous with the remainder anthropogenic introductions.

Białowieski National Park is the oldest national park in Poland and one of the oldest in Europe. It was founded as 'Reserve' forestry in 1921 but officially established as a National Park in Białowieża in 1932. In 1947 it was restored as the Białowieski National Park. At one time the property of Polish kings, the Białowieski Forests have survived in an almost unaltered form. It is without doubt the most valuable natural area in the European lowlands.

Source:whc/unesco

The Sundarbans Bangladesh

The Sundarbans Bangladesh

Short Report

The Sundarbans mangrove forest, one of the largest of these forests in the world (140,000 ha), is located on the delta of the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers in the Bay of Bengal. It is adjacent to the border of India's Sundarbans World Heritage site registered in 1987. The site is intersected by a complex network of tidal waterways, mudflats and small islands of salt-tolerant mangrove forests, and is an excellent example of the current ecological processes. The area is known for its large variety of fauna, including 260 bird species, the Bengali tiger and other endangered species such as the estuarine crocodile and the Indian python.

Wide Report

The Sundarbans consists of three wildlife sanctuaries (Sundarbans West, east and south) are disjunct deltaic margins islands just west of the large outflow of the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna river, close to the border with India. The sanctuaries intersected by a complex network of tidal waterways, mudflat hiking and the small islands of salt tolerant mangrove forests. The area is awash with brackish water during high tide which mix with fresh water from the rivers. The larger channels often a mile or two wide and generally in a north-south direction. Rivers are usually long and right, a consequence of the strong tidal forces and the easily affected clay and silt deposits from. But apart from Baleswar River inland waterway transport little fresh water if they are cut off from the Ganges, the outflow of that has shifted from the east gradually Hooghly-Bhagirathi channels in India since the 17th century. They are open remain largely by the diurnal tidal flow. Alluvial deposits are geologically very recent and deep. The soil is a clay loam with alternating layers clay, sludge and sand. The surface is clay except seawards of the islands in the coastal areas, where sandy beaches. The monsoon rains, floods, delta formation, and tidal influence in the Sundarbans combine for a dynamic landscape that constantly changes. Sand collection at the estuary and form banks and characters, which blown in the dunes by the strong south-westerly monsoon winds. Finer silts are washed in the Bay of Bengal where they mudflat hiking in the shadows of the dunes. These are overlain with sand of the dunes and salt marshes in centers.

Because of the dominance of salty conditions, the forest flora in the western Sundarbans is not as varied as in the east. Forest areas are dominated by a few species usually Sundri and Gewu and patches of Nypa palm and some other of the 27 species that are found in the Sundarbans mangrove swamps. The property is the only remaining habitat in the lower Bengal Basin for a variety of faunal species. The presence of 49 mammals have been documented. These are not less than five spectacular species rhinoceros Javan region, water buffalo, swamp deer, gaur and probably hog deer are locally extirpated since the beginning of the 21st century.

The Sundarbans of Bangladesh and India one of the largest populations of Royal Bengal Tiger with an estimated 350 people. Other mammals are spotted deer, wild boar, three types of wild cat and Ganges River dolphin, that can occur in some of the larger rivers. Of the three species of otter, smooth coated otter is domesticated by fishermen and used to fish in their nets. Approximately 53 reptile species and eight amphibian species are included in this mugger crocodile is now extinct, probably as a result of previous overfishing, although it still occurs in at least one area. Estuarine crocodile still survives but his songs are strongly depleted by hunt and capture of skins. Four species of marine turtles are listed in the area. The varied and colorful birds to see along the waterways is one of the Sundarbans' biggest attractions. There are approximately 315 species of waterfowl, raptors and forest birds, including nine types of kingfisher and the beautiful white-in sea eagle.

Historical Data

All three wildlife sanctuaries are established in 1977 under the Bangladesh Wildlife (Preservation) (Amendment) Act, 1974, after set veterinary surveillance zones forest reserves in 1878. The total area of wildlife sanctuaries was extended in 1996. The entire Sundarbans reserved forest, set in the context of the Indian Forest Act, 1878.

Source:whc/unesco

Barrier Reef Reserve System Belize

Barrier Reef Reserve System - Belize

Short Report

The coastal area of Belize is an excellent natural system, consisting of the largest barrier reef in the northern hemisphere, offshore atolls, hundreds of sand cays, mangrove forests, lagoons and estuaries. The seven sites illustrate the evolutionary history of reef development and are an important habitat for endangered species, such as marine turtles, dugongs, and the U.S. Navy crocodile.

Wide Report

The coastal area of Belize is an excellent natural system, consisting of the largest barrier reef in the northern hemisphere, offshore atolls, hundreds of sand cays, mangrove forests, lagoons and estuaries. The seven sites illustrate the evolutionary history of reef development and a large habitat for endangered species. The reef stretches from the border with Mexico in the north, near the Guatemalan border in the south. The Belize submarine plateau and the barrier reef, the world's second largest reef system and the largest reef complex in the Atlantic-Caribbean area. Outside the gate, there are three large atolls: Turneffe islands, Lighthouse Reef and Glover said, the Reef.

Between the mainland and the barrier reef is a comprehensive offshore lagoon that increases in the width and depth of the north to the south. In the north, an average of 2 to 3 m water depth on a flat, featureless bottom 20-25 km wide. South of Belize City, the shelf gradually deepens a channel between the mainland and the outer platform, a depth of 65 m in the Gulf of Honduras. The approximately 450 sand and mangrove cays are limited to the interior of the dam and atolls vary in size from small, ramshackle sand spits to large, permanent islands capable of sustaining human settlements.

A total of 178 terrestrial plants and 247 taxa of marine fauna is described from space. There are more than 500 species of fish, 65 scleritian corals, 45 hydroids and 350 molluscs in the area, plus a large diversity of sponges, marine worms and shellfish. The area houses a number of types of conservation, including West Indian manatee, green sea turtle loggerhead turtle, loggerhead turtle and American crocodile. The West Indian manatee population (300-700 people) is probably the largest in the world. Different bird species, of conservation concern are to be found in the cayes and atolls. Large seabird colonies and migratory waterbird species are the red feet booby (3000-4,000 individuals) on Half-Moon Caye, brown booby on Man O'War Caye and common noddy Glover said, on the reef. Other notable birds are the brown pelican and the magnificent frigate bird. The Belize barrier reef ecosystem is distinctive in the Western Hemisphere because of its size, its many types of reef and the exuberance of corals flourish in this unspoilt conditions. The are a few unusual geophysical properties, such as the nearby contiguous shelf edge barrier reef, the complex maze of patch reefs and faros in a relatively deep shelf lagoon, the unusual reef types in a small space, the presence of atolls, and the large offshore mangrove cays.

Shell centers in Maya sites along the coast and on the cayes demonstrate that the reefs were used for fishing around 2500 years ago. Between 300 V. BC and AD 900, the coastal waters probably used intensively for fishing by the Maya, and trading posts, ceremonial centers and burial grounds were established on the cayes. With the decline of the Maya civilisation, the reef resources probably largely unused for a number of centuries, although early Spanish explorers used the cayes to repair their boats and collect fresh water. At the beginning of the 17th century, however, the coastal waters of Belize had a heaven for pirates and buccaneers, largely from Great britain , which looted Spanish and British trading ships and survived the abundant marine resources available. Later, many of the pirates, as well as Puritan traders from the Mosquito Coast of Nicaragua, settled in the cayes, fishermen and plantation owners. Since then, there have been a number of waves of immigrants in the coastal area, including the Garifuna people, immigrants from Mexico, and most recently North Americans and other foreigners who were seduced by the beauty of the coral reef and its surroundings and stay on the cayes.

Source:whc/unesco