IUCN to assess Western Ghats for nomination to heritage list

Experts from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) will tour the Western Ghats region next month to evaluate its nomination to the World Heritage List.The Union Ministry of Environment and Forest has prepared a nomination for inscription of 39 serial sites in the Western Ghats on the list. “The purpose of inscription is to ensure that the sites of outstanding universal value are protected for the present and future generations,” “The Western Ghats, spread over Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Gujarat, Goa and Maharashtra, stands a good chance to be included on the list considering its global significance in terms of biodiversity value,” The ghats region is likely to be assessed in the category of sites which “contain the most important and significant natural habitats for in-situ conservation of biological diversity, including those containing threatened species of outstanding universal value from the point of view of science or conservation.” The government had established several protected areas including the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve and 13 national parks in the region considering its biodiversity significance.The world heritage list includes 911 properties, including 29 from India, which the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO considers as having outstanding universal value.