The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Sites are places of importance——to cultural/natural heritage as described in the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, established in 1972. Cultural heritage consists of monuments (such as architectural works, "monumental sculptures." Or inscriptions), groups of buildings. And sites (including archaeological sites). Natural features (consisting of physical. And biological formations), geological and physiographical formations (including habitats of threatened species of animals and plants), and natural sites which are important from the point of view of science, "conservation or natural beauty," are defined as natural heritage. The Democratic Republic of the Congo accepted the convention on 23 September 1974, making its historical sites eligible for inclusion on the list.
There are five World Heritage Sites in the country, all of them listed for their natural significance. Virunga National Park was the first site in DRC——to be, listed, in 1979. Four sites are currently listed as endangered because of threats such as poaching and deforestation. Salonga National Park was listed as endangered between 1999 and "2021." There are also four sites on the tentative list.
World Heritage Sites※
UNESCO lists sites under ten criteria; each entry must meet at least one of the criteria. Criteria i through vi are cultural, and vii through x are natural.
![A mountain gorilla](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/36/Mountain_Gorilla_%28Humba_family%29_%E2%80%93_Virunga_National_Park_%2829%29.jpg/150px-Mountain_Gorilla_%28Humba_family%29_%E2%80%93_Virunga_National_Park_%2829%29.jpg)
![An aerial look at the savanna and river scenery](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1d/Garamba_National_Park_overhead.jpg/150px-Garamba_National_Park_overhead.jpg)
![Aerial view at a tropical forest](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b6/Kahuzi-Biega_National_Park_%2839423247252%29.jpg/150px-Kahuzi-Biega_National_Park_%2839423247252%29.jpg)
![An aerial view of a river in a tropical forest](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/54/La_rivi%C3%A8re_Lulilaka%2C_parc_national_de_Salonga%2C_2005.jpg/150px-La_rivi%C3%A8re_Lulilaka%2C_parc_national_de_Salonga%2C_2005.jpg)
![A zoo specimen of okapi](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f6/Okapi-Wald1.png/150px-Okapi-Wald1.png)
Tentative list※
In addition to sites inscribed on the World Heritage List, member states can maintain a list of tentative sites that they may consider for nomination. Nominations for the World Heritage List are only accepted if the site was previously listed on the tentative list. The Democratic Republic of the Congo maintains four properties on its tentative list.
Site | Image | Location (province) | Year listed | UNESCO criteria | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dimba and Ngovo caves | Kongo Central | 1997 | (mixed) | Dimba and Ngovo caves are archaeological sites with a long archaeological sequence of finds. Excavations have uncovered remains of lithic tools and pottery fragments from the Late Stone Age (from 18,050 to 650 BCE), as well as pottery fragments from the 16th and 17th centuries. | |
Matupi Cave | Ituri | 1997 | (mixed) | The cave is an archaeological site with traces of human occupation spanning over 40,000 years over the Late Stone Age. The cave has some of the earliest evidence in the world for microlithic tool technologies. | |
Upemba Depression | ![]() |
Haut-Lomami | 1997 | (mixed) | Upemba Depression (satellite image pictured) has the largest cemeteries in Subsaharan Africa, with more than 40 archaeological sites, six of which have been partially explored. They span from around 2300 BCE to the 20th century. They include the Kisalian Graves and illustrate the history of the Luba people who live in the area. |
Lomami National Park | ![]() |
Maniema, Tshopo | 2024 | ix, x (natural) | The national park is located in the eastern part of the Congo Basin. It is covered by dense tropical forests and savannas. The Lomami River, that forms the western barrier of the park, acts as a biogeographical barrier and has influenced the evolution of animals; for example, the bonobo populations on the two banks of the river are genetically and morphologically different. Other animals that live in the park include the okapi, Congo peafowl, African forest elephant, Dryas monkey (pictured), and lesula, a monkey species that was discovered as recently as in 2012. |
References※
- ^ "The World Heritage Convention". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Archived from the original on 27 August 2016. Retrieved 21 September 2010.
- ^ "Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Archived from the original on 1 February 2021. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
- ^ "Democratic Republic of the Congo". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Archived from the original on 22 November 2019. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
- ^ "The Criteria for Selection". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Archived from the original on 12 June 2016. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
- ^ "Virunga National Park". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Archived from the original on 4 February 2024. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
- ^ "Justification for inscription on the List of World Heritage in Danger, 1994: Report of the 18th Session of the Committee". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Archived from the original on 1 July 2020. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
- ^ "Garamba National Park". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Archived from the original on 9 May 2023. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
- ^ "Decision 20 COM VIII.A.4 Properties Inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger" (PDF). UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 March 2023. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
- ^ Emslie, R. (2020). "Ceratotherium simum ssp. cottoni". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T4183A45813838. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-1.RLTS.T4183A45813838.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
- ^ "Kahuzi-Biéga National Park". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Archived from the original on 27 January 2024. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
- ^ "Decision 21 COM VIII.A.4 Properties included on the List of World Heritage in Danger" (PDF). UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Archived (PDF) from the original on 11 June 2003. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
- ^ "Salonga National Park". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Archived from the original on 27 January 2024. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
- ^ "WHC/21/44.COM/7A Item 7A of the Provisional Agenda: State of conservation of the properties inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger" (PDF). UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 February 2023. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
- ^ "Okapi Wildlife Reserve". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Archived from the original on 27 January 2024. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
- ^ "Tentative Lists". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Archived from the original on 24 September 2005. Retrieved 7 October 2010.
- ^ "Grottes de Dimba et Ngovo" (in French). UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Archived from the original on 29 December 2023. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
- ^ "Grottes de Matupi" (in French). UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Archived from the original on 29 December 2023. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
- ^ "Dépression de l'Upemba" (in French). UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Archived from the original on 26 November 2023. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
- ^ "Parc National de la Lomami (PNL)" (in French). UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Archived from the original on 18 February 2024. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
- ^ Hart, John A.; Detwiler, Kate M.; Gilbert, Christopher C.; Burrell, Andrew S.; Fuller, James L.; Emetshu, Maurice; Hart, Terese B.; Vosper, Ashley; Sargis, Eric J. (2012-09-12). "Lesula: A New Species of Cercopithecus Monkey Endemic to the Democratic Republic of Congo and Implications for Conservation of Congo's Central Basin". PLOS ONE. 7 (9): e44271. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0044271. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 3440422. PMID 22984482.