Top 9 amazing destinations for nature lovers

Entirely uninhabited by humans, the site has high biodiversity value with a very high percentage of endemic species, many of them globally threatened. The site is home to endemic plants, mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, inland water fish and decapod crustaceans, including, for example, the endangered Amami Rabbit and the endangered Ryukyu Long-haired Rad that represent ancient lineages and have no living relatives anywhere in the world. 

Five mammal species, three bird species, and three amphibian species in the property have been identified globally as Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered (EDGE) species. There are also a number of different endemic species confined to each respective island that are not found elsewhere in the property.

The ensemble is set in an agro-pastoral landscape which largely reflects the structures of the communities that supported the mines between the 18th and early 20th centuries.

The extremely humid broad-leaved rainforests comprise a highly diverse flora and fauna, with very high densities of endemic and relict species, with significant numbers of globally threatened species and relic species, which survived the glacial cycles of the Tertiary.

The site also harbors 19 threatened animal species including sturgeon, notably the critically endangered Colchic Sturgeon. It is a key stopover for many globally threatened birds that migrate through the Batumi bottleneck.

The site hosts high levels of biodiversity, with reports of 2,150 species of flora and fauna, including 22 globally threatened or near-threatened species. It is home to 47 endemic and five endangered marine invertebrate species besides a total of 118 migratory bird species for which the site provides critical habitats. 

Endemic fauna includes Mud Octopuses, and deposit feeders like Japanese Mud Crabs, Fiddler Crabs, and Polychaetes, Stimpson’s Ghost Crabs, Yellow Sea Sand Snails, as well as various suspension feeders like clams. The site demonstrates the link between geodiversity and biodiversity, and demonstrates the dependence of cultural diversity and human activity on the natural environment.

A number of endemic and globally endangered plant species have been reported in the property, which overlaps with two Important Bird Areas (IBAs) and is noted for its rich diversity of birdlife, including eight globally threatened species.

The property is home to the critically endangered Siamese Crocodile, the endangered Asiatic Wild Dog, Banteng, Asian Elephant, Yellow/Elongated Tortoise, and the endangered Asian Giant Tortoise, as well as several other vulnerable species of birds and mammals.

Remarkably, it is also home to eight cat species: the endangered tiger and Fishing Cat, near-threatened Leopard and Asian Golden Cat, the vulnerable Clouded Leopard and Marbled Cat, as well as Jungle Cat and Leopard Cat.

The site’s aquatic habitats harbor endemic freshwater fish species, 13 of which are threatened, and at least seven species of Podostemaceae riverweeds, with probable micro-endemic aquatic flora at each waterfall. Many fish species in the property are yet to be described and parts of the site have hardly been investigated.

Critically Endangered Slender-snouted Crocodiles find shelter in Ivnido National Park which also boasts biogeographically unique Casesalpinioideae old-growth forests of high conservation value, supporting, for instance, a very high diversity of butterflies alongside threatened flagship mammals and avian fauna such as the Critically endangered Forest Elephant, Western Lowland Gorilla, the Endangered Chimpanzee and Grey Parrot as well as the Vulnerable Grey-necked Rockfowl, Mandrill, Leopard and African Golden Cat, and three species of Pangolin.

The railway is notable for its scale and the engineering works it required to overcome steep routes and other difficulties. Its construction involved extensive mountain cutting in some areas, while the rugged terrain in others dictated the construction of 174 large bridges, 186 small bridges and 224 tunnels, including 11 spiral tunnels.

The garden is characterized by sinuous forms, exuberant mass planting, architectural plant arrangements, dramatic color contrasts, use of tropical plants, and the incorporation of elements of traditional folk culture. Sítio Roberto Burle Marx exhibits an ecological conception of form as a process, including social collaboration which is the basis of environmental and cultural preservation. It is the first modern tropical garden to be inscribed on the WHL.

The serial property comprises six components each encompassing relict quarries and mines, archeological sites related to slate industrial processing, historical settlements, both living and relict, historic gardens and grand country houses, ports, harbors and quays, and railway and road systems illustrating the functional and social linkages of the relict slate industrial landscape.

The property was internationally significant not only for the export of slates, but also for the export of technology and skilled workers from the 1780s to the early 20th century. It offers an important and remarkable example of interchange of materials, technology and human values.