Volcano Live
volcanolive.com
UNESCO World
Heritage Volcano Sites
According to the World Heritage Convention, "natural heritage" designates outstanding physical, biological, and geological features; habitats of threatened plants or animal species and areas of value on scientific or aesthetic grounds or from the point of view of conservation.
Yellowstone
(USA)
In a vast natural forest in Wyoming,
Yellowstone National Park covers more than 9,000 square kilometres. An
impressive collection of geothermal phenomena can be observed there, including
more than 3,000 geysers, fumaroles and hot springs.
Hawaii
Volcanoes National Park (Big Island, Hawaii
Two of the most active volcanoes in the
world, Mauna Loa (4,170 metres high) and Kilauea, tower over the Pacific
Ocean at this site. Volcanic eruptions have created a continually-changing
landscape, and the lava flows reveal surprising geological formations.
Rare birds and endemic species can be found there, as well as forests of
giant ferns.
Hawaii Volcanoes National park is
an area of outstanding natural beauty. The site is a unique example of
island building through on-going volcanic processes, and represents the
most recent activity in the continuing process of the geological origin
and change of the Hawaiian Archipelago. The park represents native subtropical
rain forest and mesic forest communities, providing an excellent example
of succession following dynamic volcanic activity, as well as habitats
for several threatened and endemic species.
Aeolian
Islands (Italy)
The Aeolian Islands provide an outstanding
record of volcanic island-building and destruction and ongoing volcanic
phenomena. Studied since at least the 18th century, the islands have illustrated
two of the types of eruption (Vulcanian and Strombolian) to vulcanology
and so have featured prominently in the education of all geoscientists
for over 200 years. The site still continues to enrich the field of vulcanological
studies.
The
Archaeological Areas of Pompei and Ercolano (Italy)
When Vesuvius erupted
on 24 August 79 AD it engulfed the two flourishing Roman towns of Pompeii
and Herculaneum, as well as the many rich villas in the area. Since the
mid 18th century these have been progressively uncovered and made accessible
to the public. The vast expanse of the commercial town of Pompeii contrasts
with the restricted but better preserved remains of the holiday resort
of Herculaneum.
Sangay
National Park (Ecuador)
With its outstanding
natural beauty and two active volcanoes, the park illustrates the entire
spectrum of ecosystems, ranging from tropical rainforests to glaciers,
with striking contrasts between the snowcapped peaks and the forests of
the plains. Its isolation has encouraged the survival of indigenous species
such as the mountain tapir and the Andean condor.
Galápagos
Islands (Ecuador)
Situated in the
Pacific Ocean some 1,000 km from the South American continent, these 19
islands and the surrounding marine reserve have been called a unique "living
museum and showcase of evolution". Located at the confluence of three ocean
currents, the Galápagos are a "melting pot" of marine species Ongoing
seismic and volcanic activity reflects the processes that formed the islands.
These processes, together with the extreme isolation of the islands, led
to the development of unusual animal life – such as the land iguana, the
giant tortoise and the many types of finch – that inspired Charles Darwin's
theory of evolution following his visit in 1835.
Volcanoes
of Kamchatka (Russia)
This is one
of the most outstanding volcanic regions in the world, with a high density
of active volcanoes, a variety of types, and a wide range of related features.
The six sites included in the serial designation group together the majority
of volcanic features of the Kamchatka peninsula. The interplay of active
volcanoes and glaciers forms a dynamic landscape of great beauty. The sites
contain great species diversity, including the world's largest known variety
of salmonoid fish and exceptional concentrations of sea otter, brown bear
and Stellar's sea eagle.
Lord
Howe Island (Australia)
A remarkable example of isolated oceanic
islands, born of volcanic activity more than 2,000 m under the sea, these
islands boast a spectacular topography and are home to numerous endemic
species, especially birds.
Macquarie
Island (Australia)
Macquarie Island (34 km long x 5 km wide)
is an oceanic island in the Southern Ocean, lying 1,500 km south-east of
Tasmania and approximately halfway between Australia and the Antarctic
continent. The island is the exposed crest of the undersea Macquarie Ridge,
raised to its present position where the Indo- Australian tectonic plate
meets the Pacific plate. It is a site of major geoconservation significance,
being the only place on earth where rocks from the earth's mantle (6 km
below the ocean floor) are being actively exposed above sea-level. These
unique exposures include excellent examples of pillow basalts and other
extrusive rocks.
Central
Eastern Rainforest Reserves (Australia)
This site, comprising several protected
areas, is situated predominantly along the Great Escarpment on Australia's
east coast. The outstanding geological features displayed around shield
volcanic craters and the high number of rare and threatened rainforest
species are of international significance for science and conservation.
Heard
and McDonald Islands (Australian Territory)
Heard Island and
McDonald Islands are located in the Southern Ocean, approximately 1700
km from the Antarctic continent and 4100 km south- west of Perth. As the
only volcanically active subantarctic islands they "open a window into
the earth", thus providing opportunities to observe ongoing geomorphic
processes and glacial dynamics.
Tongariro
National Park (New Zealand)
The mountains at
the heart of the park have cultural and religious significance for the
Maori people and symbolize the spiritual links between this community and
its environment. The park contains active and extinct volcanoes, a diverse
range of ecosystems and highly scenic landscapes.
Mount
Kenya National Park (Kenya)
Mount Kenya, 5,199
m, is the second highest peak in Africa. It is an ancient extinct volcano,
during whose period of activity 3.1 - 2.6 million years ago it is thought
to have risen to 6,500 m. There are twelve remnant glaciers on the mountain,
all receding rapidly, and four secondary peaks that sit at the head of
the U-shaped glacial valleys. The area inscribed includes the upper slopes
of the mountain, and two salients which make up the National Park and surrounding
Forest Reserve. With its rugged glacier-clad summits and forested middle
slopes, Mount Kenya is one of the most impressive landscapes in Eastern
Africa. The evolution and ecology of its afro-alpine flora also provide
an outstanding example of ecological processes.
Lake
Turkana National Parks (Kenya)
The most saline
of Africa's large lakes, Turkana is an outstanding laboratory for the study
of plant and animal communities. The three National Parks serve as a stopover
for migrant waterfowl and are major breeding grounds for the Nile crocodile,
hippopotamus and a variety of venomous snakes. The Koobi Fora deposits,
rich in mammalian, molluscan and other fossil remains, have contributed
more to the understanding of paleo-environments than any other site on
the continent. Recent volcanic activity occurred in the area.
Ngorongoro
Conservation Area (Tanzania)
A large permanent
concentration of wild animals can be found in the huge and perfect crater
of Ngorongoro. Nearby, the crater of Empakaai, filled by a deep lake, and
the active volcano of Oldonyo Lenga can be seen. Excavations carried out
in the Olduvai Gorge, not far from there, have resulted in the discovery
of one of man's more distant ancestors, Homo habilis.
Kilimanjaro
National Park (Tanzania)
The highest point in Africa, Kilimanjaro
is a volcanic massif 5,963 metres high which stands, isolated, above the
surrounding plains, with its snowy peak looming over the savannah. The
mountain is encircled by mountain forest, and numerous mammals, many of
which are endangered, live in the park.
Virunga
National Park (Democratic Republic of Congo)
Virunga National Park (covering an area
of 790,000 ha) comprises an outstanding diversity of habitats, ranging
from swamps and steppes to the snowfields of Rwenzori at an altitude of
over 5,000 m, and from lava plains to the savannahs on the slopes of volcanoes.
Mountain gorillas are found in the park, some 20,000 hippopotamuses live
in the rivers and birds from Siberia spend the winter there.
Kahuzi-Biega
National Park (Democratic Republic of Congo)
A vast area of primary tropical forest
dominated by two spectacular extinct volcanoes, Kahuzi and Biega, the park
has a diverse and abundant fauna. One of the last groups of mountain gorillas
(consisting of only some 250 individuals) lives at between 2,100 and 2,400
m above sea-level.
Air
and Ténéré Natural Reserves (Niger)
This is the largest protected area in
Africa, covering some 7.7 million hectares. The area considered as a protected
sanctuary is only one- sixth of the total area. It includes the volcanic
rock massif of the Aïr, a small Sahelian pocket, isolated as regards
its climate and flora and fauna in the Saharan desert of Ténéré.
The reserve boasts an outstanding variety of landscapes, plant species
and wild animals.
Gros Morne National
Park (Canada)
Situated on the west coast of the island
of Newfoundland, the park provides a rare example of the process of continental
drift, where deep ocean crust and the rocks of the earth's mantle lie exposed.
More recent glacial action has resulted in some spectacular scenery, with
coastal lowland, alpine plateau, fjords, glacial valleys, sheer cliffs,
waterfalls and many pristine lakes.
Teide National Park (Canary Islands, Spain)
Teide volcano is the highest peak in the Atlantic Ocean and the world's third tallest volcano, with a height of 7500 m above the ocean floor. The volcano was observed in eruption by Columbus in 1492.