Friday, June 15, 2007
Wonders bid for heritage status
We've known about this on the island for a long time, of course, but the news has now reached the mainstream media and the date when the decision will be made is now only days away, as the BBC reports that, "Five of the world's natural wonders have been nominated for inclusion on the UN World Heritage List. A biodiversity-rich rainforest in Madagascar and Tenerife's volcanic landscape are among the sites favoured by the World Conservation Union (IUCN)."
Teide National Park, Spain: situated on the island of Tenerife, the park was nominated for its "mature, slow-moving and geologically complex volcanic system", they say. The Teide volcano itself is relatively young (less than 150,000 years old) and the Parque Nacional del Teide already holds protected status as a National Park, created in 1954.
Key elements to the bid are the facts that, although some of the things that can be found in the Teide National Park can be found elsewhere on the planet, there is nowhere else on earth where they all appear together and in a relatively small, accessible area. That means it is accessible to students and scientists, as well as the 3.5 million tourists who visit the park each year.
Wonders bid for heritage status
Related posts:
UNESCO to Evaluate Tenerife's Mount Teide
Teide Passes First Phase for UNESCO Recognition
The Mountain at the End of the World
