All About World Heritage Sites
Make traveling more meaningful
In July 2019, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee inscribed the 20th century Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright, consisting of eight Frank Lloyd Wright-designed sites in the USA, to the UNESCO World Heritage List. These eight sites are the first American works of modern architecture that UNESCO deems “of outstanding universal value.” There are now…
Source: The Best of America’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites – Ecophiles
Ever thought there would be something so beautiful and gorgeous atop a volcanic hot spot? No? Then you must have a look at Yellowstone National Park which looks like a dream. This, about 3,500 sq mile recreational park is spread across Wyoming in the United States mostly but some of its part also covers regions in Montana and Idaho. The place, because it’s of natural phenomenon and nearly-intact ecosystem, was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the year 1978. To know more about this wonder in the United States, read ahead.
Source: Yellowstone National Park is a visual treat, have a look at these amazing pictures
When holiday-maker Raymond Reike decided to take on a bison during his trip through Yellowstone National Park, the animal wasn’t impressed. And this particular bison decided to respond in kind. Moreover, a shocked onlooker captured what happened next on camera – and it can only be described as karmic retribution. The road-tripper in question, 55-year-old…
Source: This Man Stepped Into The Road To Taunt A Bison, And The Animal Dished Out A Dose Of Instant Karma
Do you want a Yellowstone bison in your living room? The Washington Post has a new app for that.
According to the Post, the paper has released a new “augmented reality experience” built around two United States’ UNESCO World Heritage sites: Yellowstone National Park and Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson, located in Charlottesville, Virginia.
You can see a demonstration of the app below, courtesy of the Post.
The release comes as part of a larger celebration of UNESCO sites in the United States. Currently, the U.S. has 23 sites, including other national parks (the Everglades, Grand Canyon, Great Smoky Mountains) and historic monuments (Independence Hall in Pennsylvania, San Antonio Missions, the Statue of Liberty).
According to the Post, both the Yellowstone and Monticello experiences feature 3D visuals and narration about each site by Post travel writer Andrea Sachs. As mentioned, the featured Yellowstone item is a bison; the featured items for Monticello are Jefferson’s telescope, globe, and polygraph.
To use, just download the Post’s mobile app (available for iOS and Android). Then, swipe right for the “Augmented Reality” tab.
Read more from source: Washington Post Releases App Showcasing Yellowstone and Monticello – Yellowstone Insider
America’s national parks are always a good choice for a family getaway, but in my mind Yellowstone tops the list. I’ll say from the start that I’m biased, having grown up in Cody, Wyoming, just an hour’s drive from the park’s East Entrance.
I visited the park many times, from age 4 through my teens, and I have returned on several occasions as an adult. The park was my Disneyland as a kid — and it continues to amaze and excite me in my seventies.
I’ll back my contention with a number of reasons why Yellowstone has such great family appeal, but let’s first review some facts about the park.
Yellowstone is the world’s first national park. It was established in 1872 by an act of the U.S. Congress signed into law on March 1, 1872, by President Ulysses S. Grant. It also was one of the first 12 sites named as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978.
Named for the river that runs through it, Yellowstone occupies 3,472 square miles (about 2.2 million acres). That’s larger than Rhode Island and Delaware combined.
Read more from source: MultiBrief: Yellowstone: America’s best national park for a family vacation
There’s so many things to do in Yellowstone, that it may well be the perfect place to travel with children.
For quite a while now, I have been wanting to go back to the United States and explore more of the incredible country where I have lived for over two years at the beginning of this century (yes, I am old). Back then, I didn’t have the chance to visit Yellowstone, though I did drive through Wyoming (one of the states where Yellowstone is located) and appreciated its wildness. But it’s a place I want to visit soon.
My trip to Yellowstone would be a special one, a gift to one of the most lovely persons in my life: my niece Anna. She turned 8 last week. She’s the daughter of my cousin Luisa, and the first arrival of the latter generation in our (very enlarged, yet very close) family. I’m not a family travel blogger, yet I feel compelled to show Anna what my life is all about.
Anna is an interesting creature.
Read more from source: Seven Adrenaline Filled Things To Do In Yellowstone
While there are many UNESCO World Heritage Sites located abroad, there are plenty located right here in the United States.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, better known as UNESCO, recognizes special landmarks around the world as culturally significant. These World Heritage Sites are selected based on cultural, historical or scientific importance to humanity. While there are many UNESCO World Heritage Sites located abroad, there are plenty located right here in the United States. With 22 sites to choose from, visitors can easily travel across the country to explore these cultural and natural landmarks.
Across the planet, a study has revealed that more than 100 natural World Heritage Sites are under threat from increasing human encroachment and deforestation.
In the study an international team of researchers from the University of Queensland, Wildlife University of Northern British Columbia and the International Union for Conservation of Nature found that the human footprint over these protected sites had increased by 63% over the last two decades.
The only continent that didn’t see any increase was Europe.
One of the big surprises was the discovery that the Yellowstone National Park had lost six percent of its forest. This loss has been attributed to the arrival of the pine beetle and global warming.
Other sites, particularly in Asia, were found to be in an even poorer state.
WARNING: More than 100 Natural World Heritage Sites are in immediate danger.
Natural UNESCO World Heritage Sites such as Yellowstone National Park in the United States are globally recognized as containing some of the Earth’s most valuable natural assets.
Despite this, a new University of Queensland-led study warns that more than a hundred of these sites are being destroyed by the encroachment of humans.
For the study, the international team looked at human pressures on World Heritage Sites such as roads, agriculture, urbanization and industrial infrastructure, along with forest loss, over time. To do this, they used updated data from the Human Footprint project.
They found that our human footprint has experienced a significant increase of 63 percent in Natural World Heritage Sites across all continents except Europe over the past two decades.
Yellowstone and other major sites are suffering from a range of human threats and forest loss.
Human activity and forest loss are threatening more than 100 natural World Heritage Sites around the world, scientists have shown. This includes the iconic Yellowstone National Park in the US, which has lost a major part of its forest since the turn of the century.
In 1972, the World Heritage Convention was adopted, paving the way for better protection of the planet’s most valuable natural and cultural resources to safeguard them for future generations. A total of 229 sites are recorded as Natural World Heritage Sites, meaning the landscape is particularly beautiful and important for biodiversity conservation.
In the past decades, human pressures on the natural environment have increased. Agriculture, infrastructure building and urbanization are having a negative impact on biodiversity and threatening many ecosystems.
