World Heritage Identification Number: 955
World Heritage since: 1999
Category: Natural Heritage
Transboundary Heritage: No
Endangered Heritage: No
Country: 🇮🇩 Indonesia
Continent: Asia
UNESCO World Region: Asia and the Pacific
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Lorentz National Park: A Unique Biosphere in the Heart of Indonesia
Lorentz National Park, a vast expanse of pristine wilderness spanning over 2.35 million hectares, stands as the largest protected area in South-East Asia. This Indonesian treasure, situated in the provinces of Central Papua, Highland Papua, and South Papua, serves as a testament to the rich biodiversity and geological complexity found within the island of New Guinea. In 1999, UNESCO recognized its significance by designating Lorentz National Park as a World Heritage Site.
More to come…UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site
Lorentz National Park (2.35 million ha) is the largest protected area in South-East Asia. It is the only protected area in the world to incorporate a continuous, intact transect from snowcap to tropical marine environment, including extensive lowland wetlands. Located at the meeting-point of two colliding continental plates, the area has a complex geology with ongoing mountain formation as well as major sculpting by glaciation. The area also contains fossil sites which provide evidence of the evolution of life on New Guinea, a high level of endemism and the highest level of biodiversity in the region.
UNESCO Justification of the World Heritage Site
The site is the largest protected area in Southeast Asia (2.35 mil. ha.) and the only protected area in the world which incorporates a continuous, intact transect from snow cap to tropical marine environment, including extensive lowland wetlands. Located at the meeting point of two colliding continental plates, the area has a complex geology with on-going mountain formation as well as major sculpting by glaciation and shoreline accretion which has formed much of the lowland areas. These processes have led to a high level of endemism and the area supports the highest level of biodiversity in the region. The area also contains fossil sites that record the evolution of life on New Guinea.
Encyclopedia Record: Lorentz National Park
Lorentz National Park is an Indonesian national park located in the provinces of Central Papua, Highland Papua and South Papua, in the southwest of western New Guinea. With an area of 25,056 km2 (9,674 mi2), it is the largest national park in Southeast Asia. In 1999 Lorentz was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.Additional Site Details
Area: 2,350,000 hectares
(ix) — Outstanding example representing ecological and biological processes
(x) — Contains most important habitats for biodiversity
Coordinates: -4.75 , 137.83333
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© Ganjarmustika1904, CC BY-SA 4.0 Resized from original. (This derivative is under the same CC BY-SA license.)
