What is a World Heritage Site?
A World Heritage Site is an area that is deemed to have outstanding universal value. It is protected by being inscribed in the World Heritage List by the World Heritage Convention, a body established by UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization). Once a site has been chosen, it is protected from threats of changing social and economic conditions and natural decay.
Wetlands
The St. Lucia Wetlands are low lying sandy soils found close to the water table. Seasonal water table fluctuation can flood or expose these areas. Wetlands are represented by marshes, bogs, seeps, mangroves, seasonal lakes and seasonal streams.
There is more life, hectare for hectare in a healthy wetland than in almost any other kind of habitat. The wetlands of southern Africa are of international importance as they are the southern destination of many migratory water birds of which there is a rich diversity on southern Africa (more than 130 species).
Estuaries
Estuaries rate with coral reefs and rain forests as the planet's most prolific habitats, supporting a range of species far greater than that of other environments. A rich variety of plants, birds, crabs, prawns and many other smaller creatures live together in ecologically interdependent relationships.
