Yesterday Mexican President, Enrique Peña Nieto, received
UNESCO’s official declaration granting World Heritage status to the Revillagigedo
Archipelago. The initial announcement was made back in June.
Located just 390 km southwest of Cabo, the Revillagigedo
Archipelago are a group of four volcanic
islands in the Pacific Ocean, known for their unique ecosystems. And it is due
to this ecological richness and
extraordinary biodiversity that the Archipalego was selected as a World Heritage Site.
The islands cover a total of 161.81 square kilometers.
And from east to west they are San Benedict, Socorro, Roca Partida and Clarion.
The incredible variety of fauna, terrestrial and marine
life attracts nature tourists from all over the world. The islands are
especially popular with divers and San Benedicto is home to one of the most
important colonies of giant mantas on the planet.
As a protected area with many endangered species the
islands are not inhabited. Tourists tend to head to Cabo and make organized
trips from there.
Being granted World Heritage Status places the
Archipelago, and Mexico, more firmly on
the world’s ecological map. Mexico now tops the list in Latin America with the highest
number of officially protected sites, and is sixth in the world.