Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Some of the world's most spectacular eco tourism destinations were given World Heritage status by the United Nations last week. They include a critically endangered area of rainforest in Indonesia, the largest glacier anywhere outside Antarctica and a remote Scottish island.
Some of the world's most spectacular eco tourism destinations were given World Heritage status by the United Nations last week. They include a critically endangered area of rainforest in Indonesia, the largest glacier anywhere outside Antarctica and a remote Scottish island.
Unesco, the UN's cultural wing, approved the new sites at its annual meeting held in China. World heritage status obliges governments, under a 1972 UN convention, to ensure the long-term protection of the sites, and prevent any development that could destroy or damage them. The Taj Mahal and the Great Wall of China are among the most prominent man-made attractions to enjoy this designation.
New members of this exclusive club include the 2.5-million hectare Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra. This area comprises three national parks - Gunung Leuser, Kerinci Seblat and Bukit Barisan Selatan.
The protected area, which is heavily targeted by loggers and poachers, is home to an estimated 10,000 plant species, more than 200 different mammals and 580 types of bird. The two most endangered species to be found here are the Sumatran tiger and the Sumatran orang-utan.
"There is no question this is a significant and positive step," said Craig Bennett of Friends of the Earth. "Sumatra is a classic example of how mankind is causing species extinction."
The UN also approved its first Arctic site, the Ilulissat ice fjord, one of the most popular tourist attractions in Greenland. The ice fjord, on the western coast of the country, is 25 miles long and up to 4,000ft deep, and is permanently filled with ice calved from a glacier formed from Greenland's ice cap. The heritage area also includes two important sites of Eskimo pre-history.
But World Heritage status can also apply to sites closer to home. Unesco has doubled the existing designated area of St Kilda, extending its protective jurisdiction beyond its dramatic cliff formations to the waters that surround the Hebridean archipelago.
For more information, visit www.unesco.org
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments