World Heritage Listing

 

The Greater Blue Mountains was announced as Australia’s 14^th World Heritage Area on 29 November 2000.

What does it mean to be World Heritage Listed?

“World Heritage is the designation for places on earth that are of outstanding universal value to humanity and as such, have been inscribed on the World Heritage List to be protected for future generations to appreciate and enjoy. Places as diverse and unique as the Pyramids of Egypt, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, Galapagos Islands in Ecuador, the Taj Mahal in India, the Grand Canyon in the USA, or the Acropolis in Greece are examples of the 890 natural and cultural places inscribed on the World Heritage List to date.”

Source: UNESCO World Heritage Centre

Features of the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area:

Acknowledgement of Traditional Owners

Six Aboriginal language groups  are the traditional owners of the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area:

• Darug
• Gundungurra
• Wanaruah
• Wiradjuri
• Darkinjung
• Tharawal Nations

World Heritage Overview

• Essential ecosystem services
• Biodiversity
• Cultural significance
• Wide and balanced representation of eucalypts habitats

8 National Parks

The largest integrated system of protected areas in New South Wales:

• Blue Mountains
• Wollemi
• Kanangra-Boyd
• Nattai
• Yengo
• Gardens of Stone
• Thirlmere Lakes
• Jenolan Caves Karst Reserve

Habitats:

• Wet and dry sclerophyll forest
• Mallee heathlands
• Localised swamps
• Wetlands
• Grassland

Biodiversity:

• 10% of the vascular flora
• Large numbers of rare or threatened species (e.g. The Wollemi pine)
• 91 species of eucalypts
• More than 400 animal species such as:
  • Spotted-tailed quoll
  • Koala
  • Yellow-bellied glider
  • Long-nosed potoroo
  • Green and golden bell frog
  • Blue Mountains water skink

The Greater Blue Mountains One-million-hectare Area:

• Sandstone plateau
• Escarpments and gorges
• Temperate eucalypt forest
• 60 km inland of Sydney
• From the Cumberland Plain in the east
• Encompass some of the central portions of the Great Dividing Range
• Stretches east to urban development
• Stretches west to agri-industry
• North section split by a corridor of townships along the Great Western Highway

More information:

• The Blue Mountains World Heritage Institute
• www.bmwhi.org.au