UNESCO

To celebrate Independence Day, my family and I visited Santa Cruz Island, the largest of the Channel Islands Biosphere Reserve. While there, we enjoyed kayaking through caves and giant kelp forests as well as hiking in the hills covered with stunning red coastal sage scrub (see photo below). 
Upon returning home, I researched the Channel Islands on UNESCO’s website, a specialized agency of the UN dedicated to historical and cultural preservation. According to UNESCO, the Channel Islands Reserve “offers one of the last examples of natural mediterranean ecosystems in North American and some of the few remaining natural southern California coastal ecosystems.”
The picture below also caught my eye because the red flora reminded me of Santa Cruz Island. I discovered that the photo is an image of the Coast of the Yellow Sea-Bohai Gulf of China. It was added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List yesterday (7/5/19) during the 43rd session of the World Heritage Committee because of its “global importance to the many migratory species [including some of the world's most endangered species] that use the East Asian-Australasian flyway.”
I also found it interesting that the Chairman of the Committee, Abulfas Garayev, described the fact that the “authoritative international organizations around the world host their events in Azerbaijan as a manifestation of the country’s growing influence”. The 43 session is being held in Baku, Azerbaijan until July 10, 2019.  



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