This book presents the natural, environmental and scenic richness of the world's coastal and marine areas classified by UNESCO as "Natural World Heritage Sites". Representing well-preserved areas of exceptional significance to the planet and to humankind, they include a total of 49 marine sites, formed by reefs, atolls and gulfs, and 35 coastal sites in all oceans and all continents with exception of Antarctica. They are being protected and preserved from most degrading uses for future generations as an important legacy from the past. Exploring their richness, this book analyzes and explains these sites in a clear, understandable, scientific way, and is of interest to all who work in or care about the geosciences, environmental sciences and biosciences.

Autorentext

Vanda Claudino-Sales is a geographer who holds a PhD in Environmental Geography from the Sorbonne University, Paris, and a post-doctorate in Coastal Geomorphology from the University of South Florida, USA. She is a retired professor of the Department of Geography of the Federal University of Ceara and a visiting professor at the Department of Geography of the State University of Acarau Valley, in Brazil. She was a visiting professor at the Department of Geography at the Sorbonne and at the Coastal Laboratory of the University of South Florida. She is Vice-President for South America of the Coastal and Educational Research Foundation CERF. She also participates in environmental activism in Brazil. Her research focuses on geoscience, coastal geomorphology, megageomorphology and geoconservation.

Inhalt

Part I - World heritage on continental coasts

Africa

1. Banc D´Arguin National Park, Mauritania

2. Nambid Sand Sea, Namibia

3. Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary, Senegal

4. Cape Floral Region Protected Areas, South Africa
5. iSimangaliso Wetland Park, South Africa

Asia

6. The Sandarbans, Bangladesh and India

7. Puerto-Princesa Subterranean River National Park, the Philippines

Central America

8. área de Conservación Guanacaste, Costa Rica

9. Rio Plátano Biosphere Reserve, Honduras

10. Darien National Park, Panama

Europe

11. Stevens Klint, Denmark

12. High Coast/Kvarken Archipelago, Finland and Sweden

13. West Norwegian Fjords - Geiran-Gerfjord and Nærøyfjord, Norway

14. Danube Delta, Romania

15. Donãna National Park, Spain

North America

16. Joggins Fossil Cliffs, Canada

17. Miguasha Natural Park, Canada

18. Mistaken Point, Canada

19. Kluane/Wrangell-St Elias/Glacier Bay/Tatshenshini-Alsek, Canada and United States of America

20. Sian Ka'an, Mexico

21. Whale Sanctuary of El Vizcaino, Mexico
22. Everglades National Park, United States of America

23. Olympic National Park, United States of America

24. Redwood National and State Parks, United States of America

Oceania

25. Kakadu National Park, Australia

26. Ningaloo Coast, Australia

27. Wet Tropics of Queensland, Australia

South America

28. Península Valdés, Argentina

29. Atlantic Forest Southeast Reserves, Brazil
30. Discovery Coast Atlantic Forest Reserves, Brazil

Part II - World coastal heritage in islands, gulfs and reefs

Arctic Ocean

31. Natural System of Wrangel Island Reserve, Russia

Atlantic Ocean

32. Brazilian Atlantic Islands: Fernando de Noronha and Atol das Rocas, Brazil

33. Gros Morne National Park, Canada

34. Ilulissat Icefjord, Denmark

35. Surtsey, Iceland

36. Laurisilva of Madeira, Portugal

37. Gough and Inaccessible Islands, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

38. Saint Kilda, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Indian Ocean

39. Aldabra Atoll, Seychelles

40. Socotra Archipelago, Yemen

Pacific Ocean

41. Fraser Islands, Australia

42. Great Barrier Reefs, Australia

43. Lord Howe Island Group, Australia

44. Shark Bay, Australia

45. Tasmanian Wilderness, Australia

46. Malpelo Fauna and Flora Park, Colombia

47. Cocos Island National Park, Costa Rica

48. Galápagos Islands, Ecuador

49. Lagoons of New Caledonia, France

50. Ogasawara Islands, Japan

51. Shiretoko, Japan

52. Phoenix Islands, Kiribati

53. Archipiélago de Revillagigedo, Mexico
54. Islands and Protected Areas of Gulf of California, Mexico

55. Te Wahipounamu South-West, New Zealand

56. Rock Island Southern Lagoon, Palau

57. Coiba National Park and the Zone of Marine Protection, Panama

58. Volcanoes of Kamchatka, Russia

59. East Rennel, Solomon Island

60. Henderson Islands, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

61. Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, United States of America
62. Papahnaumokukea, United States of America

Southern Ocean

63. Heard and McDonald Islands, Australia

64. Macquarie Island, Australia

65. New Zealand Sub-antarctic Islands, New Zealand

Caribbean Sea

66. Belize Barrier Reef System, Belize
67. Alejan...