UNITED NATIONS, July 31 (UPI) -- A U.N. agency Saturday added Sri Lanka's Central Highlands and Hawaii's Papahanaumokuakea islands and atolls to the World Heritage List.
The U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization said in a release issued in New York .
The Central Highlands comprise the Peak Wilderness Protected Area, the Horton Plains National Park and the Knuckles Conservation Forest. UNESCO says the region is considered a super biodiversity hot spot noted for its range of flora and fauna, including several endangered species, including the western purple-faced langur, the Horton Plains slender loris and the Sri Lankan leopard.
Papahanaumokuakea is an isolated cluster of small, low-lying islands and atolls about 150 miles northwest of the main Hawaiian Islands and stretching for about 1,200 miles
UNESCO says the area has deep cosmological and traditional significance for native Hawaiian culture. It also is one of the largest marine protected areas in the world.
The additions bring the total number of World Heritage Properties to 892.
UNESCO's World Heritage Committee has been meeting in Brasilia, Brazil, this week to review candidates for inclusion on its heritage list and assess its List of World Heritage in Danger.
