Heritage with Related Tags
Socotra Archipelago
Located in the northwest of the Indian Ocean, near the Gulf of Aden, the Socotra Archipelago is 250 km long and consists of four islands and two rocky islets, which appear as an extension of the Horn of Africa. The site is of universal importance for its biodiversity and rich and unique flora and fauna: 37% of Socotra's 825 plant species, 90% of reptiles and 95% of snail species are found nowhere else in the world. The site also supports globally important populations of land and seabirds (192 bird species, 44 of which breed on the island and 85 are regular migrants), including many endangered species. Socotra's marine life is also very diverse, with 253 species of reef-building corals, 730 coastal fish species and 300 species of crabs, lobsters and shrimps.
Joggins Fossil Cliffs
Joggins Fossil Cliffs is a 689-hectare paleontological site located on the coast of Nova Scotia in eastern Canada, described as the "Galapagos of the Coal Age" for the abundance of fossils found during the Carboniferous Period (354 million to 290 million years ago). The rocks at the site are considered the landmarks of this period in Earth history, the world's thickest and most comprehensive record of Pennsylvanian stratigraphy (dating back to 318 million to 303 million years ago), and contain the most complete record of terrestrial fossils of the time. These include remains and footprints of early animals and the rainforests in which they lived, all left in situ and undisturbed. The site, with 14.7 km of sea cliffs, low cliffs, rock platforms, and beaches, consists of remains of three ecosystems: estuarine bays, floodplain rainforests, and fire-prone forested floodplains with freshwater pools. The site contains the richest known fossil assemblage of each of these three ecosystems, including 148 species of fossils from 96 genera and 20 footprint assemblages. The site is listed as an outstanding representation of the major stages of Earth history.