2012 Marks the World Heritage Convention’s 40th Anniversary

On November 16, 1972, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) adopted the World Heritage Convention. It was an historic milestone: The treaty was a giant step forward in helping to protect and conserve those places around the planet that “through their natural beauty or cultural resonance have left an indelible mark on humanity’s collective imagination.” 

In 1978, UNESCO declared the Galápagos Islands one of its first twelve World Heritage Sites — not surprising, given the islands’ incredible naturalness and unique geologic, biologic, and human history. 

Since then, more than 188 countries have ratified the convention and more than 936 separate sites have been placed on the list.

Learn more about the yearlong celebration.


Feature image: UNESCO calls the Galapagos “a unique living museum and showcase of evolution” and named it one of the first World Heritage Sites. ©Candice Gaukel Andrews

 

Candice_andrews
Candice Gaukel Andrews

A multiple award-winning author and writer specializing in nature-travel topics and environmental issues, Candice has traveled around the world, from the Arctic Circle to Antarctica, and from New Zealand to Scotland's far northern, remote regions. Her assignments have been equally diverse, from covering Alaska’s Yukon Quest dogsled race to writing a history of the Galapagos Islands to describing and photographing the national snow-sculpting competition in her home state of Wisconsin. In addition to being a five-time book author, Candice's work has also appeared in several national and international publications, such as The Huffington Post and Outside Magazine Online. To read her web columns and see samples of her nature photography, visit her website at www.candiceandrews.com and like her Nature Traveler Facebook page at www.facebook.com/naturetraveler.

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