The Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is a step closer to becoming a UNESCO’s World Heritage site.
The U.S. Department of the Interior recently announced the nomination of the 400,000-acre refuge in Southeast Georgia will now go to the Federal Register for public review.
The World Heritage Committee, composed of representatives from 21 nations, makes the final decision on inclusion. If included in the list, the Okefenokee would join more than 1,200 cultural and natural sites of universal importance, such as the Grand Canyon in Arizona, the Taj Mahal in India, and the Great Wall in China. If successful, the Okefenokee would be the first U.S. wildlife refuge to earn the designation.
The push comes as state regulators evaluate a permit application from an Alabama company to strip mine for titanium dioxide and other minerals near the eastern side of the refuge. The company, Twin Pines, says the effort poses no environmental risk, but academic researchers disagree.
This article comes to Now Habersham in partnership with GPB News
