MARTINIQUE IS A UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE :
Between Regional Cooperation and Public Awareness
A press release from the Martinique Nature Park
From September 24 to 28, 2018, the Martinique Natural Park (PNM), which is leading the project on behalf of the French government and the Territorial Collectivity of Martinique, is organizing an awareness week to inform as many people as possible about the nomination for inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage List of the “Volcanoes and Forests of Montagne Pelée and the Pitons in Northern Martinique.“ During this week, several regional cooperation meetings will also be held throughout the territory.
As the deadline for submitting Martinique’s application at the national level approached, it was important for the PNM to involve the public in this process, which is fully aligned with the development of our territory. To this end, several events and articles produced in close collaboration with the island’s media outlets highlight Martinique’s exceptional attributes and values. As a reminder, the inclusion of the “Volcanoes and Forests of Mount Pelée and the Pitons of Northern Martinique“ on France’s tentative list in 2014 marked the first national stage of Martinique’s nomination. Then, in October 2016, the «Outstanding Universal Value» of the Martinique site, confirmed by Ségolène ROYAL, Minister of the Environment, Energy, and the Sea, marked the second step. The next step will be for France to select the territory it will champion at the international level for inclusion on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.
It was also essential to strengthen regional cooperation around this project. Indeed, several countries in the Caribbean already manage UNESCO sites. The seminar on the management of UNESCO-designated sites in the Caribbean, scheduled for Tuesday, September 25, 2018, will bring together about ten Caribbean countries with the valuable support of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS). Representatives from Dominica, Saint Lucia, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Grenada, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Antigua, Jamaica, the British Virgin Islands, and Martinique will share their experiences with strategies for promoting natural heritage in island environments.
On Wednesday, September 26, a cooperation meeting on the conservation and enhancement of Caribbean mangroves will take place at the Domaine d’Emeraude in Morne Rouge. This will be an opportunity for our visitors to discover this exceptional site.
Local and Caribbean-wide mobilization and collaboration around our “Martinique: Wonder of the World” initiative will continue next week during the following events:
- Tuesday, September 25: Seminar on the management of UNESCO-designated sites in the Caribbean – CTM Assembly Hall from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
- Wednesday, September 26: Cooperation Meeting on the Conservation and Enhancement of Caribbean Mangroves – Domaine d’Emeraude, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
