Heritage status for dolomites
The breathtaking Dolomite mountain range in Northern Italy has moved one step closer to nabbing a place amongst other 174 cultural and natural wonders on the United Nations World Heritage List - which will guarantee it the highest possible protection and recognition...
The Dolomites are a section of the Alps, located in the provinces of Belluno, Bolzano-Bozen and Trento, all in North-Eastern Italy, and boast the largest interconnected ski with 1,200km of runs.
They were formed around 90 million years ago, when the landmasses that are now Europe and Africa came together and pushed the Alps up out of the sea.
Today, their stunning natural beauty is a drawcard for millions of winter sports enthusiasts, summer hikers and tourists and now the area is set to achieve the highest possible recognition - a place on the UN World Heritage List.
The World Heritage Committee's technical advisory body on natural heritage, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), gave the area its seal of approval earlier this week. Although the World Heritage Committee must still consider the application, endorsement from the IUCN is a crucial step forward.
This has been a long time coming. The celebrated Italian mountaineer Reinhold Messner first suggested the area for World Heritage status back in 1992, but it took a decade before it had enough political support to get off the ground.
The first application was made in December 2004, with backing from national and regional Governments and two years later, the IUCN launched its official investigation of the area. Still the battle was not over yet - the IUCN then stopped the application as it felt that too many mountain clusters had been nominated.
Originally, 22 clusters were recommended, but this was reduced to nine - which spans a total area of 142,000 hectares - and was entered under the natural beauty and geological processes categories.
Reinhold Messner, who has been climbing in the Dolomites for years, said, "The beauty of the Dolomites derives from the contrast between the green of the meadows, the vertical rock faces and the composition of the rock itself, which changes colour throughout the day."
The final decision will be given on June 27th, when the World Heritage Committee meets in Seville to discuss this application and others from all over the world.
The Dolomites are not the only taste of Italy up for inclusion on the list. A waterfall located in Central Italy called the Cascata Delle Marmore is also hoping to make it.
Picture by wikipedia
