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The 40th session of the World Heritage Committee
The 40th session of the World Heritage Committee of Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage was held in Istanbul, Turkey on 10-20 July 2016, and in UNESCO Headquarters, Paris, France 24-26 October 2016.
According to the Report of the Decisions adopted, UNESCO's World Heritage Committee added 21 new sites of special cultural or physical significance to its World Heritage List in 2016, including:
6 Natural sites:
- Sanganeb Marine National Park and Dungonab Bay - Mukkawar Island Marine National Park, Sudan. The property's marine systems, fauna and flora are from an Indian Ocean origin, however, due to its semi-enclosed nature, it has developed unique and different ecosystems and species not found elsewhere. Thus the property is distinctive and unique because of its high number of species, diverse number of habitats, high endemism, and remoteness. (Decision: 40 COM 8B.6)
- Hubei Shennongjia, China. It has been a place of significant scientific interest and its mountains have featured prominently in the history of botanical inquiry. The site has a special status for botany and has been the object of celebrated international plant collecting expeditions conducted in the 19th and 20th centuries. From 1884 to 1889 more than 500 new species were recorded from the area. Shennongjia is also the global type location for many species. It protects the largest primary forest in central China and provides habitats for rare animal species like the Clouded and Common Leopard, the Asian Black Bar and the Golden or Snub-nosed Monkey. (Decision: 40 COM 8B.7)
- Lut Desert, Islamic Republic of Iran: The region has been described in the past as a place of 'no life' and information on the biological resources in this area is limited. Nevertheless, the nomination dossier documents the area's known flora and fauna including an interesting adapted insect fauna and other species which have made their home in this extreme environment. (Decision: 40 COM 8B.8)
- Western Tien-Shan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. It represents an exceptional diversity and beauty of a mosaic of landscapes, a unique combination of different types of ecosystems, outstanding diversity of fauna and flora with a considerable proportion of endemic species and communities, as well as a large number of rare and threatened species. (Decision: 40 COM 8B.9)
- Mistaken Point, Canada, a globally significant Ediacaran fossil site almost entirely located within Mistaken Point Ecological Reserve on the south-eastern tip of the island of Newfoundland in eastern Canada (Decision: 40 COM 8B.12).
- Archipiélago de Revillagigedo, Mexico, represents an exceptional convergence of two marine biogeographic regions: the Northeastern Pacific and Eastern Pacific. It protects part of a submerged mountain range, which is of particular importance for seabirds as well as other wildlife, such as dolphins, manta rays, sharks and whales (Decision: 40 COM 8B.14)
3 Mixed sites:
- Ennedi Massif: Natural and Cultural Landscape, Chad (Decision: 40 COM 8B.15)
- The Ahwar of Southern Iraq: Refuge of Biodiversity and the Relict Landscape of the Mesopotamian Cities, Iraq (Decision: 40 COM 8B.16)
- Khangchendzonga National Park, India, which contains a diversity of forests, glaciers, lakes, mountains and valleys and the world's third-highest peak, Mount Khangchendzonga (Decision: 40 COM 8B.17)
12 Cultural sites:
- Zuojiang Huashan Rock Art Cultural Landscape, China (Decision: 40 COM 8B.19)
- Archaeological Site of Nalanda Mahavihara (Nalanda University) at Nalanda, Bihar, India (Decision: 40 COM 8B.20)
- The Persian Qanat, Islamic Republic of Iran (Decision: 40 COM 8B.21)
- Nan Madol: Ceremonial Centre of Eastern Micronesia, Federated States of Micronesia (Decision: 40 COM 8B.22)
- Stećci Medieval Tombstone Graveyards, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro and Serbia (Decision: 40 COM 8B.24)
- Archaeological Site of Philippi, Greece (Decision: 40 COM 8B.26)
- Antequera Dolmens Site, Spain (Decision: 40 COM 8B.27)
- Archaeological Site of Ani, Turkey (Decision: 40 COM 8B.28)
- Gorham's Cave Complex, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (Decision: 40 COM 8B.29)
- The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier, an Outstanding Contribution to the Modern Movement, Argentina, Belgium, France, Germany, India, Japan and Switzerland (Decision: 40 COM 8B.31)
- Antigua Naval Dockyard and Related Archaeological Sites, Antigua and Barbuda (Decision: 40 COM 8B.32)
- Pampulha Modern Ensemble, Brazil (Decision: 40 COM 8B.33)
The full world heritage list could be viewed on UNESCO website.