Dedicated to the preservation of cultural, natural and mixed monuments throughout the world, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee is a non-political, international body in charge of ensuring that international treasures will be there for future generations to experience and enjoy. Treasures range from historic buildings, to cities, to national monuments, and national parks. Worldwide, there are currently 936 sites on the World Heritage list, most of which were nominated due to their cultural significance. However, of the 936, there are only 183 natural monuments including the Grand Canyon. They were all chosen for their beauty, geological, ecological and biological importance. As anyone enjoying a trip to the Grand Canyon or a Grand Canyon rafting trip quickly learns, this natural wonder of the world definitely needs to be preserved.
World Heritage Site Nomination
There are about twenty monuments in the United States on the World Heritage List, including fifteen natural monuments such as the Grand Canyon, Florida's Everglades National Park and Yosemite National Park.
To make the list, the country must submit a nomination for inclusion. This is done through the country's representatives who must complete a comprehensive application. Outside groups can help to influence what sites are nominated by offering their expertise, outlining the value of the monument and/or the dangers it faces. Of the four criteria used to determine the worthiness of a natural monument, the Grand Canyon - designated a World Heritage Site in 1979 - met all four.
Natural Criteria
Regardless of whether a nominated site is of cultural or natural significance, it must be deemed "of outstanding universal value". Additionally, there are ten criteria for cultural sites, and four for natural sites. All nominations must meet at least one criteria in their classification. A natural site must:
* Significantly demonstrate geological epochs of earth's history
* Exhibit continuous biological and ecological evolution of plants and animals
* Be the natural habitat of endangered species
* Be prized for its remarkable physical beauty
It is telling that the Grand Canyon met all four. Hikers, rafters, kayakers and five million annual visitors can attest to the indescribable beauty and grandeur of the area. Additionally, its importance to geological, ecological and biological studies is indisputable given the two billion year-old Vishnu Schist and numerous subsequent layers of rock, the seven ecological "life zones", 2,000+ plant species and over 400 mammal, bird, reptile and amphibian species. In a sense, the Grand Canyon is a world unto itself, and it's worth protecting.
Endangered Sites
Only 35 of the UNESCO Heritage sites are considered endangered. The committee makes these a priority because they are under threat, whether from human conflict, natural disaster, pollution, urbanization or spiraling tourist development. Endangered sites receive monetary and conservational resources which are used to zero in on the problem and develop a plan for problem reversal. Each monument presents unique challenges because each endangered site is one-of-a-kind. The goal for each, however, is the same - eliminate the problems and get the site off of the endangered list ASAP.
In the United States only the Florida Everglades is on the endangered list. As far as the Grand Canyon is concerned, though, that is certainly no cause for sitting back on ones laurels. Numerous threats exist that must be dealt with in order to preserve what nature created. Uranium mining, invasive foreign plant and animal species, noise and air pollution are among the concerns of canyon conservation groups. Because of its location in a semi-arid zone, an even more pressing issue is water management.
One facet of this was created by the construction of the Glen Canyon Cam at the east end of the canyon. In order to generate maximum electricity, the flow of the Colorado River's waters had to be controlled. The end result is an unnatural daily flow that fluctuates very little during the year. Grand Canyon kayaking and rafting is largely unaffected as the flow is adequate to keep the white water rushing; but the controlled water flow has had the unintended effect of preventing sediment from getting downstream, endangering the habitat for countless animal species. Moreover, what was once a river with waters that varied in temperature as the seasons changed, so was at times naturally a somewhat warm sediment-filled river, is now always about 46 degrees and clear. This has led to a rise in non-native fish species.
More alarming though is that there are seven deep-well water pumps that annually remove 800 acre-feet of fresh water from the Redwall-Muav aquifer which feeds the countless natural springs flowing through the canyon. These springs sustain life virtually all life in the canyon. It's important to note that 800 acre-feet is over 260 million gallons being pumped out of underground aquifers annually. As staggering as that figure is, it is estimated that 40,000 acre-feet will be needed to be pumped each year by 2050, all to support the growing urban areas, from Flagstaff, AZ all the way to Denver and Los Angeles. That is entirely unsustainable - so other sources of water must be found to replace this outflow from the canyon.
Keeping the Canyon off the Endangered List
It's not good enough for conservationists to be satisfied with the Grand Canyon's World Heritage status. As one can easily surmise, without intervention, the natural wonder could end up on the endangered list in a generation.
For their part, commercial Grand Canyon river rafting outfitters are some of the most vocal and active conservationists. They make sure each and every person who goes down the mighty Colorado on one of their rafts hears not only about the beauty, diversity and wonder of the Grand Canyon and the river flowing through it, but how absolutely necessary it is to protect this international treasure and keep it pristine for future generations to experience and enjoy.
Reproduction permitted only if all active links are maintained and byline is preserved, and/or your byline is omitted. 2011 All Copyrights reserved.
World Heritage Site Nomination
There are about twenty monuments in the United States on the World Heritage List, including fifteen natural monuments such as the Grand Canyon, Florida's Everglades National Park and Yosemite National Park.
To make the list, the country must submit a nomination for inclusion. This is done through the country's representatives who must complete a comprehensive application. Outside groups can help to influence what sites are nominated by offering their expertise, outlining the value of the monument and/or the dangers it faces. Of the four criteria used to determine the worthiness of a natural monument, the Grand Canyon - designated a World Heritage Site in 1979 - met all four.
Natural Criteria
Regardless of whether a nominated site is of cultural or natural significance, it must be deemed "of outstanding universal value". Additionally, there are ten criteria for cultural sites, and four for natural sites. All nominations must meet at least one criteria in their classification. A natural site must:
* Significantly demonstrate geological epochs of earth's history
* Exhibit continuous biological and ecological evolution of plants and animals
* Be the natural habitat of endangered species
* Be prized for its remarkable physical beauty
It is telling that the Grand Canyon met all four. Hikers, rafters, kayakers and five million annual visitors can attest to the indescribable beauty and grandeur of the area. Additionally, its importance to geological, ecological and biological studies is indisputable given the two billion year-old Vishnu Schist and numerous subsequent layers of rock, the seven ecological "life zones", 2,000+ plant species and over 400 mammal, bird, reptile and amphibian species. In a sense, the Grand Canyon is a world unto itself, and it's worth protecting.
Endangered Sites
Only 35 of the UNESCO Heritage sites are considered endangered. The committee makes these a priority because they are under threat, whether from human conflict, natural disaster, pollution, urbanization or spiraling tourist development. Endangered sites receive monetary and conservational resources which are used to zero in on the problem and develop a plan for problem reversal. Each monument presents unique challenges because each endangered site is one-of-a-kind. The goal for each, however, is the same - eliminate the problems and get the site off of the endangered list ASAP.
In the United States only the Florida Everglades is on the endangered list. As far as the Grand Canyon is concerned, though, that is certainly no cause for sitting back on ones laurels. Numerous threats exist that must be dealt with in order to preserve what nature created. Uranium mining, invasive foreign plant and animal species, noise and air pollution are among the concerns of canyon conservation groups. Because of its location in a semi-arid zone, an even more pressing issue is water management.
One facet of this was created by the construction of the Glen Canyon Cam at the east end of the canyon. In order to generate maximum electricity, the flow of the Colorado River's waters had to be controlled. The end result is an unnatural daily flow that fluctuates very little during the year. Grand Canyon kayaking and rafting is largely unaffected as the flow is adequate to keep the white water rushing; but the controlled water flow has had the unintended effect of preventing sediment from getting downstream, endangering the habitat for countless animal species. Moreover, what was once a river with waters that varied in temperature as the seasons changed, so was at times naturally a somewhat warm sediment-filled river, is now always about 46 degrees and clear. This has led to a rise in non-native fish species.
More alarming though is that there are seven deep-well water pumps that annually remove 800 acre-feet of fresh water from the Redwall-Muav aquifer which feeds the countless natural springs flowing through the canyon. These springs sustain life virtually all life in the canyon. It's important to note that 800 acre-feet is over 260 million gallons being pumped out of underground aquifers annually. As staggering as that figure is, it is estimated that 40,000 acre-feet will be needed to be pumped each year by 2050, all to support the growing urban areas, from Flagstaff, AZ all the way to Denver and Los Angeles. That is entirely unsustainable - so other sources of water must be found to replace this outflow from the canyon.
Keeping the Canyon off the Endangered List
It's not good enough for conservationists to be satisfied with the Grand Canyon's World Heritage status. As one can easily surmise, without intervention, the natural wonder could end up on the endangered list in a generation.
For their part, commercial Grand Canyon river rafting outfitters are some of the most vocal and active conservationists. They make sure each and every person who goes down the mighty Colorado on one of their rafts hears not only about the beauty, diversity and wonder of the Grand Canyon and the river flowing through it, but how absolutely necessary it is to protect this international treasure and keep it pristine for future generations to experience and enjoy.
Reproduction permitted only if all active links are maintained and byline is preserved, and/or your byline is omitted. 2011 All Copyrights reserved.
About the Author:
If you would like to experience a UNESCO World Heritage site, author Stephen Daniels recommends Hatch River Expeditions for the best Grand Canyon river rafting trip around. Their skilled guides will show you the river and canyon as few see it, educating, feeding and entertaining you throughout the journey
Posting Komentar