site.btaUNESCO World Heritage Committee Reviews Nominations of Seven New Sites Proposed for Inclusion in World Heritage List

During the first part of its session on Sunday, July 13, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee reviewed the documents of seven new sites proposed for inscription on the World Heritage List, as part of the 47th session chaired by Bulgaria.

The following sites were accepted for inscription:

• Mount Kumgang in Korea
• Gola-Tiwai Complex in Sierra Leone
• Maputo National Park in Mozambique
• Bijagós Archipelago – Urok Islands in Guinea-Bissau
• Phong Nha-Ke Bang and Hin Nam No National Parks (an extension of Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, listed by Vietnam in 2003) in Vietnam
• Cliffs of Møns Klint in Denmark

Mount Kumgang, also known as the Diamond Mountain by the sea, is famous for its nearly white granite peaks, deep valleys, waterfalls, and pristine ecosystems that rise up to almost 1,600 metres. This sacred mountain is a key center of mountain Buddhism, with traditions dating back to the 5th century. The cultural landscape includes ancient hermitages, temples, stupas, and stone carvings, many located within the outer and inner zones of Kumgang. Three temples are still active and provide exceptional testimony to centuries-old Buddhist practice, with tangible and intangible heritage deeply interwoven with the natural landscape, noted the UNESCO press office.

The Gola-Tiwai Complex in Sierra Leone includes the Gola Rainforest National Park and the Tiwai Island Wildlife Sanctuary. According to UNESCO, the site lies in the upper Guinea forest region. The area hosts over 1,000 plant species (113 endemic), 55 mammal species (19 globally threatened), and key species like the African forest elephant and pygmy hippopotamus. It also supports up to 448 bird species, including the endangered white-necked rockfowl. The region is rich in freshwater fish, butterflies, and dragonflies and provides vital habitats and ecosystem services, reflecting high conservation value and ecological integrity.

Gola-Tiwai is a biodiversity gem, a refuge for rare and endangered species, and a model of community-based management, said Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, after the site's inscription. She added that this listing reaffirms Sierra Leone’s commitment to heritage protection and illustrates UNESCO’s efforts to strengthen representation on the World Heritage List.

Maputo National Park in Mozambique is a transboundary extension of South Africa’s iSimangaliso Wetland Park, inscribed in 1999. It spans terrestrial, coastal, and marine ecosystems and is home to nearly 5,000 species. The site complements iSimangaliso’s conservation value and enhances biodiversity protection in the Maputaland ecoregion. It includes diverse habitats such as lakes, lagoons, mangrove forests, and coral reefs. Located in the Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany biodiversity hotspot, it features high levels of endemism and ongoing natural processes, highlighting long-term regional conservation cooperation.

The Bijagós Archipelago – Urok Islands in Guinea-Bissau includes a continuous stretch of coastal and marine ecosystems representing the best-preserved parts of the archipelago. It is the only active deltaic archipelago on the Atlantic coast of Africa and one of the few in the world. This site is home to rich biodiversity, including endangered green and leatherback turtles, manatees, dolphins, and over 870,000 migratory shorebirds. It features mangrove forests, tidal flats, and mudflats essential to marine life, as well as rare plant species, diverse fish populations, and bird colonies. Poilão Island is globally significant as a nesting site for sea turtles, UNESCO noted.

The Phong Nha-Ke Bang and Hin Nam No National Parks in Vietnam represent a transboundary extension of Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, originally listed in 2003. Located in the Annamite Mountains, the parks feature rugged karst landscapes and deep cave systems, including the vast Xe Bang Fai cave, along with rich biodiversity and traditional cultural practices. The parks lie within the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot and are home to over 1,500 plant species and 536 vertebrates, including many endemics and globally threatened species such as the red-shanked douc langur and the Sunda pangolin. Unique species like the Laotian rock rat and giant huntsman spider also inhabit the area. The ecosystems range from lowland forests to high-elevation karst habitats, UNESCO said.

The Cliffs of Møns Klint in Denmark support rare habitats such as calcareous grasslands and beech forests that host diverse plant and animal species, including 18 orchid species and the near-threatened Large Blue butterfly. Erosion continuously reveals new fossils and reshapes the cliffs. With an impressive glaciotectonic landscape shaped by Pleistocene glaciers, the site features chalk cliffs, rolling hills, landforms such as kames and basins, and outwash plains. Visible cross-sections of the cliffs show intense folding and faulting in Cretaceous limestone and Quaternary sediments, the press release noted.

The Eastern Mongolian Steppes in Mongolia were recommended for deferral after review of their nomination.