1) Great Himalayan National Park

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Himachal Pradesh
This National Park in the western part of the Himalayan Mountains in the northern Indian state
of Himachal Pradesh is characterized by high alpine peaks, alpine meadows and riverine forests.
The 90,540 ha property includes the upper mountain glacial and snow meltwater sources of
several rivers, and the catchments of water supplies that are vital to millions of downstream
users. The GHNPCA protects the monsoon-affected forests and alpine meadows of the
Himalayan front ranges. It is part of the Himalaya biodiversity hotspot and includes twenty-five
forest types along with a rich assemblage of fauna species, several of which are threatened.
This gives the site outstanding significance for biodiversity conservation.

2) Kaziranga National Park

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Least disturbed by human presence, the Park is also home to various animals like
elephants, wild water buffalo, and swamp deer. Kaziranga is also recognized as an
Important Bird Area by Birdlife International for conservation of avifaunal species.
3) Keoladeo National Park

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Situated in Bharatpur, Rajasthan, Keoladeo National Park, formerly known as

Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary, is home to over 360 species of birds. A protected sanctuary
since 1971, Keoladeo National Park was declared a World Heritage site in 1985. Birds
from lands as far as Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, China and Siberia flock this man-
made, man-managed wetland which was a duck-hunting reserve for the Maharajas.
Because of its strategic location, thousands of birds migrate here during the winters
and the park was the only known wintering site for the critically endangered Siberian
Crane. This is the only park in India that is enclosed by a 2 meters high boundary wall
which minimizes possibilities of encroachment or biotic disturbances.

4) Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers

National Park

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Located in West Himalaya, The Valley of Flowers has the most beautiful and
breathtaking meadows with stunning landscape. The outstanding scenic beauty
perfectly complements the mountain ranges making it a adventure sports and nature
lover’s delight.
The Valley of Flowers National Park, with a diverse combination of flora and rare and
endangered fauna, including Asiatic Black Bear, Snow Leopard, Musk Deer is part of
the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve which includes the rugged mountains of the Great
Himalayas. The Reserve is a World Heritage site since 2004.
5) Sundarbans National Park

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Sprawled across 10,000 sq km of land and water, across India and Bangladesh in the
Ganga delta, Sunderbans cover the world’s largest area of mangrove forests. It is
home to a number of rare and endangered animal species including tigers, aquatic
mammals birds and reptiles such as salt-water crocodile and is also one of the largest
reserves for the Bengal Tiger.
The present Sundarbans National Park was declared as the core area of Sunderbans
Tiger Reserve in 1973 and has been a World Heritage site since 1987.

6) Western Ghats

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The mountain chain that runs almost parallel to the western coast of India is even
older than the Himalaya mountain range and was declared a World Heritage site in
2012. Also known as the Sahyadri mountain range, the Western Ghats represent
biological diversity and is of importance because of the unique biophysical and
ecological processes. Traversing through the Indian states of Kerala, Tamil
Nadu, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra and some parts of Gujarat, the Ghats with its high
montane forest ecosystems also influence the Indian monsoon weather pattern.
The area is one of the world’s ten “hottest biodiversity hotspots” and has over 5,000
species of flowering plants, 139 mammals, 500 birds and at least 325 globally
threatened species occur in the Western Ghats.
The semicircular waterfall at the heart of this site is some 80 m high and 2,700 m in
diameter and is situated on a basaltic line spanning the border between Argentina and
Brazil. Made up of many cascades producing vast sprays of water, it is one of the most
spectacular waterfalls in the world. The surrounding subtropical rainforest has over 2,000
species of vascular plants and is home to the typical wildlife of the region: tapirs, giant
anteaters, howler monkeys, ocelots, jaguars and caymans.

This is one of only four natural sites recognized into the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in
Japan. This is a primeval temperate rain forest best known for its mossy cedar trees. It is
also rich in terms of flora wherein the rainforest is home to over 1,900 species and
subspecies of flora. The most notable species found in the island is the Japanese cedar.
Yellowstone national park was the first national park. It was established in 1872 and is
divided between the states of Wyoming, Montana and Idaho. The park has vast geothermal
areas with many hot springs and geysers. The Yellowstone River runs through the park
with several waterfalls, along with 4 mountain ranges. The park is well known for its
wildlife that include almost 60 mammal species, such as the gray wolf, grizzly bear, bison,
lynx and elk. It is thefourth most visited park in the United States.
Located off the coast of Queensland, the Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest coral reef
system which is composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands. The reef system
stretches over 2,600 kilometres (1,600 mi)

Amazing Natural World Heritage Sites: Perito Moreno Glacier

The Los Glaciers National Park most popular glacier is the Perito Moreno Glacier. It is one
of the most popular tourists attractions in Argentina. The tourists can view the glacier from
a small boat on Lake Argentino, or from three viewing areas on land. Lucky visitors witness
huge chunks of ice breaking from the glacier and plummeting into Lake Argentino. The
Perito Moreno is 30 km (19 mi) in length.

6. Yosemite National Park, United States –

Heritage site since 1984.

At first glance, Yosemite’s natural wonders are easy to observe. Sights around the park are
iconic in the human experience of national parks. Beyond the rocks, plants, and animals, is
a story about people in Yosemite written on that very same landscape. It tells a story of
different cultures (sometimes working together, sometimes in violent clashes) creating the
place we call Yosemite National Park and defining how we experience it. Yosemite’s rich
human history tells a story of conflict, dreams, diversity, hardships, adventures, and
preservation of one of the first national parks.
1.Serengeti National Park, Tanzania – Heritage
site since 1981.

The Serengeti is a vast ecosystem in east-central Africa. It spans 12,000 square miles (30,000
square kilometers), according to NASA, giving rise to its name, which is derived from the
Maasai language and means "endless plains."

This region of Africa is located in north Tanzania and extends to southwestern Kenya. The
Serengeti encompasses Serengeti National Park and a number of protected game reserves and
conservation areas maintained by the governments of Tanzania and Kenya. The region hosts the
largest mammal migration in the world and is a popular destination for African safaris.

2.Victoria Falls, Zambia and Zimbabwe –

Heritage site since 1989.

Victoria Falls presents a spectacular sight of awe-inspiring beauty and grandeur on the Zambezi
River, forming the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe. It was described by the Kololo tribe
living in the area in the 1800’s as ‘Mosi-oa-Tunya’ – ‘The Smoke that Thunders’. In more
modern terms Victoria Falls is known as the greatest curtain of falling water in the world.
Columns of spray can be seen from miles away as, at the height of the rainy season, more than
five hundred million cubic meters of water per minute plummet over the edge, over a width of
nearly two kilometers, into a gorge over one hundred meters below.

3.Göreme National Park and the Rock Sites of

Cappadocia, Turkey – Heritage site since 1985.

Cappadocian monasticism was already well established in the iconoclastic period (725-842) as
illustrated by the decoration of many sanctuaries which kept a strict minimum of symbols (most
often sculpted or tempera painted crosses). However, after 842 many rupestral churches were
dug in Cappadocia and richly decorated with brightly coloured figurative painting. Those in the
Göreme Valley include Tokalı Kilise and El Nazar Kilise (10th century), St. Barbara Kilise and Saklı
Kilise (11th century) and Elmalı Kilise and Karanlık Kilise (end of the 12th – beginning of the 13th
century).

4.LAKE BAIKAL

Situated in south-east Siberia, the 3.15-million-ha Lake Baikal is the oldest (25 million
years) and deepest (1,700 m) lake in the world. It contains 20% of the world's total
unfrozen freshwater reserve. Known as the 'Galapagos of Russia', its age and isolation have
produced one of the world's richest and most unusual freshwater faunas, which is of
exceptional value to evolutionary science.

5.Wood Buffalo National Park is the largest National Park of

Canada at 44,807 km2 (17,300 sq mi). It is located in northeastern Alberta and the
southern Northwest Territories. Larger in area than Switzerland,[1] it is the second-largest
national park in the world.[2] The park was established in 1922 to protect the world's
largest herd of free roaming wood bison, currently estimated at more than 5,000.[3][4][5]
It is one of two known nesting sites of whooping cranes.

The park ranges in elevation from 183 m (600 ft) at the Little Buffalo River to 945 m (3,100
ft) in the Caribou Mountains. The park headquarters is located in Fort Smith, with a smaller
satellite office in Fort Chipewyan, Alberta. The park contains one of the world's largest
fresh water deltas, the Peace-Athabasca Delta, formed by the Peace, Athabasca and Birch
Rivers. It is also known for its karst sinkholes in the north-eastern section of the park.
Alberta's largest springs (by volume, with an estimated discharge rate of eight cubic meters
per second), Neon Lake Springs, are located in the Jackfish River drainage.[6] Wood Buffalo
is located directly north of the Athabasca Oil Sands.

6.Garamba National Park and its neighbouring hunting grounds offers

a vast area scattered with a dense network of small permanent springs that support an
exceptionally high plant productivity and herbivore biomass. This biomass translates for
example in the presence of large herds of elephants at certain periods of the year,
sometimes herds of more than 550 individuals, an exceptional natural phenomenon.