International Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (IESCO)

[Wu Han]

The International Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (IESCO) is pleased to announce that the Global Heritage Committee has designated the first Global Heritage Site in Valruzia during the Committee's most recent 5714 Session: Kampania National Park.

The Global Heritage Committee recognizes the pending nomination by Valruzia of the significant Temple of Arwyj Underwater Archaeological Site; however, the Committee has postponed its decision on this site for a later date pending review of the Convention's applicability to Underwater Cultural Heritage.

Kampania National Park
IESCO Reference Number: 77-001.
Designated: 5714
Criteria: Natural, v., vi., vii.

Kampania National Park is a designated biosphere reserve and one of the most significant natural conservation areas in Valruzia, showcasing significant natural phenomena and processes.  The site, nominated in 5713, was found to have met the following criteria for recognition and preservation as a Global Heritage Site under the Convention on the Preservation of Global Heritage:

Criterion (v): Kampania National Park exhibits landscapes of outstanding natural beauty, characterized by dramatic mountain valleys, extensive old-growth sequoia forests, and prominent hydrological features, including the Dragon’s Leap waterfall. The waterfall is remarkable not only for its volume and scale but also for its visual phenomena, such as the rainbow displays produced under sunlight. These landscapes also serve as natural laboratories, providing significant opportunities for scientific study in geomorphology, hydrology, and ecological diversity.

Criterion (vi): The park preserves extraordinary evidence of long-term natural processes. Its geological formations, shaped by extended tectonic uplift, erosion, and fluvial action, reveal key stages in the region’s physiographic evolution. The park’s soils, sedimentary deposits, and canyon structures record these ongoing geomorphic processes over millennia. Biologically, the dense old-growth forests, including the notable ancient sequoia known as “The Old Watcher,” estimated to be approximately 2,000 years old, provides unique insights into dendrochronological history, forest succession, and climatic variability across the ages.

Criterion (vii): Kampania National Park contains extensive and well conserved ecosystems that exemplify ongoing ecological and evolutionary processes. The park supports large populations of native megafauna, including Valruzian bison, moose, bears, wild horses, and the Valruzian eagle, whose behaviors, population dynamics, and interactions with the landscape are largely natural. Freshwater systems such as Miewa Lake and associated streams maintain essential hydrological cycles, facilitating nutrient transport, species dispersal, and the maintenance of biodiversity.

Integrity and Protection
Kampania National Park encompasses nearly one-third of the Kampania Voivodeship and is subject to strict protective regulations that prohibit industrial exploitation, limit human interventions, and carefully manage tourism. These measures ensure the maintenance of its natural features, ecological processes, and scientific values, safeguarding the site’s outstanding universal value under the natural heritage criteria. The International Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is satisfied with the conservation efforts undertaken by Valruzian authorities, and has confidence in the ability of local authorities to conserve this Global Heritage Site well into the future.