These eight stunning natural sites are amongst the best of what nature has to offer

Eight natural wonders have been added to the World Heritage List; areas which are considered to be irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration, and thus are of outstanding universal value to humanity.

The preservation of sites on the World Heritage List is vital, not only as a legacy of the past and for our lives today, but to ensure these unique and diverse sites are here for the benefit of future generations

These new sites highlight the incredible diversity and beauty nature has to offer, from the dramatic mountain landscape of the Swiss Tectonic Arena Sardona

to the undisturbed steppe and lakes of Saryarka in Central Asia.

Joining these two are the tropical lagoons and reefs of New Caledonia, the newly formed volcanic island of Surtsey in Iceland,

and the Socotra Archipelago in Yemen, where the rich biodiversity has earned Socotra the nickname of

‘the Galápagos of the Indian Ocean’.

Canada’s Joggins Fossil Cliffs, displaying an incredibly complete fossil record of the Coal Age,

The remarkable granite peaks of Mount Sanqingshan National Park in China

and the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve in Mexico, also join this impressive list.

Swiss Tectonic Arena Sardona,

Switzerland

The clear exposure of the Glarus Overthrust, a line where older rocks overlay younger rocks, is a key feature, shows how mountains were formed through continental collisions

Swiss Tectonic Arena Sardona,

Switzerland

Split between the Naurzum andKorgalzhyn State Nature Reserves, the wetlands that grace this 1.1 million acre (450,344 hectare)

region provide a key stopover on the Central Asia flyway for migratory water birds from Africa, Europe and South Asia. More than 40% of the Central Asian flyway population of Endangered White-headed Duck Oxyura leucocephala use the Tengiz-Korgalzhyn region of Central Kazakhstan.

Naurzum andKorgalzhyn State Nature

Reserves

• Kazakhstan's Saryarka is an undisturbed area of Central Asian steppe and lakes in the Korgalzhyn and Naurzum State Nature Reserves.

Saiga antelope  (Saiga tatarica)

Increased protection of Saryarka in northern Kazakhstan, one of the areas where this nomadic animal roams, would greatly benefit the saiga.

Saryarka Steppe and Lakes of Northern Kazakhstan

The peculiar-looking saiga is considered to be Critically Endangered, a result of habitat degradation, poaching and disturbance.

Lagoons of New Caledonia (France),Pacific Ocean

The healthy, intact marine ecosystems are home to threatened fish species, turtles, and the world's third largest population of dugongs o seacows, large vegetarian mammals related to manatees.

Reefs of New Caledonia

• The tropical lagoons and coral reefs of New Caledonia form one of the three most extensive reef systems in the world. They are inhabited by an exceptional variety of coral and fish species and have intact ecosystems with healthy populations of big fish and top predators. • They are home to dramatic displays of

coral diversity, massive coral structures, together with arches, caves and major fissures in the reefs. There is nothing else quite like them in the world.

Found in coral reefs in the tropical western Pacific, including those around New Caledonia, the pygmy seahorse is undoubtedly one of the most well camouflaged species in the oceans, being almost impossible to spot amongst the vibrant coral it inhabits.

Pygmy seahorse  (Hippocampus bargibanti)

The humphead wrasse

One of the largest reef fishes in the world, is also found in the coral reefs surrounding New Caledonia.

A worrying decline in numbers of this Endangered fish has recently been reported.

S u r t s e y

S u r t s e y Surtsey is a new island in Iceland that was formed by volcanic eruptions from 1963 through 1967.

The island of Surtsey, found 20 miles (32 kilometers) off the southern coast of Iceland

It offers a unique scientific record of the process of colonization of land by plants and animals.

Part of the evolution of Surtsey is the process of coastal erosion which has already halved the area of the island and over time is predicted to remove another two thirds, leaving only the most resistant core.

An aerial photograph of Surtsey taken on August 29, 2002. North is at the top of the photo. The semicircular craters in the centre of the photo reach an elevation of 154 m. The light brown areas are palagonite tuff. The lava has flowed principally to the south and east, and a large vegetation spot can be seen where a large gull colony is located in the southernmost part of he lava.

S u r t s e yIt is a well known

fact that birds are seed carriers. Once a dense seagull population had begun to form in Surtsey in 1986, numerous new plant species colonized the island in the following years.

S u r t s e yNot only is Surtsey geographically isolated, but it has been legally protected from its birth, providing the world with a pristine natural laboratory, free from human interference,Above all, because of its continuing protection, Surtsey will continue to provide invaluable data on biological colonization long into the future.

Socotra Archipelago,YemenDragon's blood trees grow in the archipelago, which consists of four islands and two rocky islets that trail for 150 miles (250 kilometers) off the Horn of Africa

• About 37 percent of Socotra's plant species, 90 percent of its reptile species and 95 percent of its land snail species are found nowhere else in the world.

• The nature sanctuaries, national parks and areas of special botanical interest in the archipelago encompass about 75 percent of its total land area. The marine life of Socotra is also very diverse, with 253 species of reef-building corals, 730 species of coastal fish and 300 species of crab, lobster and shrimp.

Socotra bunting  (Emberiza socotrana)

Known from just a few sites on the island

of Socotra, the tiny rangeof the Socotra Bunting

makes it very vulnerable to any

threats that may arise.

Hopefully the island’s new designation as a World Heritage Site will prevent anyactivities that may threaten this unmistakable bird.

• The enormous colonies of Socotra Cormorants form a spectacular sight on Socotra. With their primarily black plumage and black bill, the mass of jostling black shapes almost appear like a single moving organism, blanketing and enveloping the sandy bays on which they live.

Socotra cormorant colony on

shoreline         (Phalacrocorax

nigrogularis)

Joggins Fossil Cliffs,CanadaFull of ancient fossils dating as far back as 354 million years ago, this 9-mile (14.7-kilometer) tract of coastal cliffs in Nova Scotia is among eight new natural wonders added in July 2008 to the United Nations list of World Heritage sites.

Once a rain forest teeming with life, the cliffs hold fossils from 148 ancient species and 20 groups of fossil footprints.

That funny-looking rock is actually an old fossilized tree. The fossil cliffs are home to enormous fossilized trees and what's believed to be the remains of the world's oldest reptile

It's truly a marvelous place — you can see the entire ancient landscapes of the Earth laid out before you, so to speak

Mount Sanqingshan National Park

in eastern China's Jiangxi province has been added to the list due to its outstanding natural beauty. The park contains a unique array of forested, fantastically shaped granite pillars and peaks concentrated in a relatively small area

Mount Sanqingshan National Park

Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve,Mexico

The three core zones of the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve protect eight overwintering colonies of the monarch butterfly in the oyamel fir forests of central Mexico. Perhaps a billion monarch butterflies overwinter here in close-packed clusters every year after a 3,500 to 4,500 kilometer journey from points in the United States and Canada. Every year millions, if not billions, of Monarch butterflies winter in densely forested mountains 60 miles (100 kilometers) northwest ofMexico City.

In the spring these butterflies begin an eight-month migration that takes them all the way to Eastern Canada and back, during which time four successive generations are born and die

Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve,Mexico

• The butterfly sanctuaries, half of which prohibit tourism to protect the beautiful insects, remain one of the most awesome sights when populated with monarchs that migrate from the United States and Canada to winter in Mexico.

Created by Olga Katerin (Okaterin)

www.slideshare.net/okaterin

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