Asia’s UNESCO Marine World Heritage Sites
The UNESCO World Heritage Marine Programme consists of 50 flagship marine protected areas of Outstanding Universal Value. These are Asia’s “Beacons of Hope in a Changing Ocean”.
1987 INDIA
Sundarbans National Park The park supports threatened mammals such as the Irrawaddy and Ganges River dolphins
1991 INDONESIA
Ujung Kulon National Park The park is home to amphibians including the vulnerable estuarine crocodile
1991 INDONESIA
Komodo National Park As well as its famous dragons, the park is rich in marine, from whale sharks, manta rays, and ocean sunfish to blue-ringed octopuses, pygmy seahorses, and nudibranchs
1993 PHILIPPINES
Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park The site is a pristine coral reef with a 100-metre perpendicular wall, lagoons and coral islands.
1994 VIETNAM
Ha Long Bay The exceptional scenic beauty is centred around the drowned limestone karst landforms, displaying spectacular pillars with a variety of coastal erosional features such as arches and caves
1997 BANGLADESH
The Sundarbans Adjacent to the border of India’s Sundarbans World Heritage site, the forest is known for threatened species such as the estuarine crocodile and the Indian python
1999 PHILIPPINES
Puertoprincesa Subterranean River National Park The site includes a subterranean river system that flows directly into the sea
2005 JAPAN
Shiretoko Peninsula The site is globally important for marine mammals including Steller’s sea lion
2008 YEMEN
Socotra Archipelago The marine life here includes 253 species of reef-building corals and 730 species of coastal fish
2011 JAPAN
Ogasawara Islands The islands demonstrate evolutionary processes and feature many endemic species
2012 PALAU
Rock Islands Southern Lagoon The complex reef system features over 385 coral species and a variety of habitats