GEORGIA — The U.S. Department of the Interior announced Friday that it would nominate the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, which makes up roughly 92% of the Okefenokee Swamp, for consideration to be on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The refuge is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and is made up of more than 400,000 acres of land, including a “large hydrologically intact swamp that is the source of two rivers – one that flows into the Atlantic and the other into the Gulf of Mexico.”
“The United States is home to some of Earth’s most incredible natural wonders, and today, the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge takes an important step toward joining the ranks of the world’s most cherished treasures,” Interior Sec. Deb Haaland said in a statement. “This nomination serves as a recognition of the refuge’s unparalleled natural and cultural significance, and of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employees, local communities and Tribes that have stewarded these lands for generations.”
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The department said the refuge is one of the world’s largest naturally driven freshwater ecosystems in the temperate zone and has a diverse set of habitat types, including 21 vegetative types.
Additionally, the refuge has “undisturbed peat beds,” which the department said store valuable information on the environmental conditions from the past 5,000 years and are an important source of information about global changes.
Now having announced their intention to nominate the Okefenokee Swamp area for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List, it will be up to the Federal Register to complete a public review, then submit the location for nomination as a World Heritage Site.
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“The Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is a landscape of unparalleled beauty and ecological significance. As one of the world’s largest intact freshwater ecosystems, it’s critical to both science and conservation,” Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks Shannon Estenoz said. “Being nominated for the UNESCO World Heritage List is a testament to the refuge’s global value, as a home for wildlife and a vital link to our planet’s environmental past and future.”
Should the Okefenokee be included in the list, it would make it one of 1,223 cultural and natural sites of universal importance, becoming the 27th such site in the United States.
Other U.S. locations on the UNESCO World Heritage List are the Grand Canyon, the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks in Ohio and the Historic Bethlehem District in Pennsylvania, among others.
Following the news of the pending nomination, advocates for protecting the refuge said the nomination was well-deserved.
“To call the Okefenokee an essential ecosystem goes without saying, but we will proudly say it anyway. The nomination is a well-deserved recognition of the wild character, incredible biodiversity and cultural significance that define the largest blackwater wetland in North America,” Defenders of Wildlife Senior Policy Analyst Christian Hunt said in a statement. “At a time when the Okefenokee is under threat by mining interests, this nomination reminds us that we are talking about one of the most significant ecosystems in the world.”
Currently, the Okefenokee Swamp is set to be the site of a potential titanium dioxide mine, though permitting and discussion for the mine are still underway.
Advocates who oppose the mining plan by Twin Pines Minerals have urged state and federal officials to block the mine from starting up, citing concerns over environmental health and safety.
The mining company, on the other hand, has said they remain committed to preserving the natural environment and ensuring safety in the area.
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